HetaCaliga
by Everlasting Faerie Light
Summary: Some nations are good, desperately fighting to get back to the real world. Some nations are evil, willing to kill anyone that crosses their path, even the ones they love. In this twisted parallel universe, the ones remaining must do what they have to do, for they're all they have left. This is HetaCaliga. xXHetalia/Nyotalia crossover, multiple pairingsXx
1. Ludwig Beilschmidt and Daisy Vargas

Germany opened his eyes and he was nearly blinded by the light. He squinted and clenched his teeth, flinching. He quickly jerked his head away and cursed under his breath. His head pounded and he saw swirling colors when he closed his eyes once again.

_What the hell happened?_

His memory was hazy. He felt as if someone had hit him over the head with a huge steel bat. He shook his head slightly and opened his eyes again, slowly. His vision was hazy at first, but it gradually grew clearer with each passing second. The first thing he saw were the bright colors of a rose window.

The huge window glittered majestically against the stone wall as the sunlight filtered through it, the light disorienting and intriguing all at once. Germany's eyes widened as he immediately sat up. With shock, he realized that he was surrounded by thick maroon blankets and white sheets. His eyes wandered around the scene.

The room had had ancient looking stone walls that arched high up form a massive domed ceiling. Right in front of him, about forty feet up, was a massive rose window that seemed to take up a majority of the room.

_Where am I? _

Germany looked down at himself and realized that he was wearing a white nightgown.

_A nightgown. _

He didn't own a nightgown! He hadn't worn a nightgown since he was a child back in the 1800's! What kind of sick joke was this? Who set him up?

He made a movement to jump out of bed, but his eyes froze as he realized that there was someone beside him on the big bed. He slowly turned his head to see that the slumbering figure was covered by white sheets. The figure was moving up and down slightly from the steady breaths.

Germany's chest constricted in panic. He instinctively reached for a weapon of some sort from his pocket.

_Dammit. Stupid nightgown._

He took in another breath and then held it. He slowly reached out a hand to the sheets, his heart pounding violently against his chest. With one fluid motion, Germany ripped the white sheets off of the figure.

His first instinct was to think that it was Italy. The figure had the long copper curl and same facial expression when asleep. But then, he realized that it wasn't in fact his ally.

No. It was a girl.

She had long brown hair the exact same shade of color as Italy's. It flowed gently down her back with a few stands that fell into her face. Her cheeks were lightly pink and her eyes were closed gently as she slumbered on, taking calm and even breaths. She was curled up in a ball, her slender arms pressed together and her knees bent toward her chest.

Germany gave a strangled yell as he attempted to back away from the sleeping stranger, but as a result, he tumbled off of the bed. He grunted in pain as he hit the cold stone floor. He sat back up and rubbed the back of his head, gritting his teeth together.

He stood up and looked back at the sleeping girl.

She sure as hell looked a lot like Italy. Almost to the point where it was disturbing. She had that long characterizing Vargas curl, the same facial expression, the same hair color…

His face burned bright red as he realized that she was wearing nothing but an extremely thin nightgown that stuck to every slender curve of her body.

Germany couldn't deny that she was very pretty. He quickly looked away and cursed under his breath.

This was not the time to be looking at beautiful women!

He needed to figure out where the hell he was and how he got here…and _why _there was a woman version of Italy in bed with him. He winced at the thought.

_Could she be a relative?_

He would never know for sure unless he woke her up.

_Nein! She might be dangerous! _

Yet, Germany didn't want to _investigate _the girl while she was asleep. He wasn't a pervert, but he didn't know how to handle this situation. He's not the kind of man to have a woman in bed with him on a regular basis. Let alone a woman he doesn't know. It just makes it a thousand times worse that he doesn't know where the hell he is.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and gave a frustrated grunt. He then withdrew his hand and slowly made his way toward the sleeping girl. Maybe he could just prod her awake and quickly ask her what the hell was going on.

If only he had a weapon with him…

He held his breath as he gently prodded the sleeping girl in the back. She didn't make any movement.

Germany poked her back again, this time a little bit harder.

The girl shifted a bit and moaned a bit in her sleep, but nothing else.

Germany was getting frustrated as tension filled every inch of his body. He bit his lip as he jabbed her sharply.

The girl gave a frustrated grunt before her eyes slowly opened.

"Ve…"

Germany stiffened. Maybe this really was an unknown sister of Italy's. He slowly backed away, but held a defensive pose just in case the worst happened and this girl lunged out and attacked him. Yet, he really didn't want to hit a girl.

The girl sat up, her long brown hair falling down her shoulders to the middle of her back. It was thick and slightly wavy. It shined gently under the different hues of light that flowed through the rose window. Germany couldn't help but mentally address how beautiful she was in her thin white nightgown, surrounded by fluffy white sheets and red blankets. Her cheeks still retained that pink color as she rubbed her eyes, a slight frown on present on her face.

Germany watched with anticipation as the girl slowly took in her surroundings. A look of confusion slowly filled her face, only to be replaced with frantic fear as she looked around wildly. Her movements and facial expressions were _identical _to Italy's.

Then, the girl turned her head and her wide brown eyes froze on Germany's. He stared back at her intently, breathing heavily. His heart was pumping against his ribcage and his stomach was flipping upside down.

Then, without warning, the girl grabbed a pillow and chucked it violently at the German's face. He grunted as the pillow hit him with surprising force. He stumbled backwards a bit as he heard the girl cry out.

"Veeeee! Who the hell are you? What the fuck is going on? Where am I? Where-"

Germany closed his eyes and his eyebrow twitched in irritation.

_She sure can rant like Italy. _

"S-Stop!" Germany yelled as forcefully as he could, but the girl kept yelling. Her voice sported a thick Italian accent identical to Italy's.

_Who is she?_

Germany tried again. He approached the girl. In response, she grabbed a fistful of the sheets and chucked them at him. Then she grabbed all of the pillows and proceeded to throw them at him as well. Germany's headache increased as the objects came flying at him. The girl's irritating yells weren't helping either.

"STOP!" he yelled at the top of his lungs.

The girl froze, but she kept staring at him with a mixture of fear and anger on her face. She still held herself in a defensive pose.

_She is a lot like Italy, yet in a way she isn't. Italy wouldn't have defended himself like that._

Germany rubbed his temples and asked in a gruff and panicked voice, "Who the hell are you?"

The girl bristled and spat back, "Ve-who the hell are _you?" _

Germany was taken aback by her fiery tone. Yet, he didn't back down. He kept glaring threateningly at her and responded, "I asked you first! Now answer the question!"

She glared at him with distrusting eyes. She snapped back, "Why would I tell you who I am?"

"Because I have no clue where I am or how I got here. I just woke up to find myself here in a bed next to you. Now answer my question!" he thundered, stamping his foot. He felt slightly ridiculous in his white nightgown, but he didn't let it show.

The girl's shoulders loosened slightly, but she didn't give up her defensive stance. Her eyes widened as she asked, "So, you don't know what's going on?"

"No. Do you?" Germany responded.

The girl shook her head slowly, fear clouding her eyes once again.

Germany's heart fell. So she couldn't help in any way…and he could tell that she wasn't lying. He could always tell when Italy was lying or telling the truth, and due to the fact that this girl looked exactly like Italy, he could tell that she was being honest.

"Who are you?" Germany asked.

The girl breathed in slowly and answered shakily, "I-I'm Italy."

Germany bristled and backed up. He felt a sense of fear and anger course through his body. He glared menacingly at the girl and clenched his fists. He thundered, "Imposter! I know who Italy is and you are not Italy!"

The girl cringed at the outburst and cried out in fear, "Veeee….stop yelling! I am Italy! My name is Daisy Vargas and I personify the north of the country! I have a sister who personifies the south and my two best friends are Germany and Japan! I swear on the Holy Bible that I am telling you the truth!"

The girl was breathing in and out due to panic and she was cowering, squeezing her eyes shut. Germany immediately felt guilt course through his as he took in the girl's quivering state.

Maybe she was telling the truth…

Nein! That's impossible!

But she sure as hell looked like Italy. She also acted like him, somewhat.

He lowered his voice, but he didn't lower his guard as he spoke.

"How can you be friends with Germany? I'm Germany," he stated darkly, still glaring at this girl version of "Italy."

The girl stopped quivering and opened her eyes to look straight at Germany.

He could see the fire build up in her eyes and he braced himself. She immediately shot up and charged at him, her fists clenched. Her cheeks were bright red, and she moved with a fluid motion as her long hair flowed behind her like a violent windstorm.

Germany found himself cowering as her fists collided with his chest, mercilessly beating him.

Damn! The girl was strong! He cried out in pain and tried to cover himself, but she was fast and ruthless. He could feel the bruises building up on his skin.

"_You…are…not…GERMANY! DON'T…YOU…FUCKING…DARE-" _she huffed in between punches.

"Ack! _Scheiße!_ Stop it! STOP IT!" He screamed as he pitifully attempted to defend himself against her hits.

"_Fucking…imposter….pervert…."_

"STOP!"

Finally after a good two more minutes of screaming and punching, she stopped and glared at the cringing nation, breathing heavily. Her hair was tousled, her eyes were still engulfed in flames, and her face was red with rage. Germany slowly backed away, finding that every step he made hurt.

"Thank you! _Mein Gott!" _He seethed. The two stood still, breathing in and out heavily.

Germany then swallowed and spoke, "I am just as confused as you are. Obviously there is some strange phenomenon occurring here that is beyond our control. But I swear to you that I am Germany. My name is Ludwig Beilschmidt. My ally is Feliciano Vargas and he personifies Northern Italy. My other ally is Kiku Honda and he personifies the country of Japan. Please do not hit me again. I swear on my life that I am telling you the truth."

He stared at the girl, praying that she would accept his answer. In all shameful honesty, he wasn't sure if he could handle another beating from her.

She still looked a bit suspicious, but he could see that the angry fire was gone. She now looked like the innocent Italy that he knew. She breathed in shakily, and then breathed out.

Then, her face crumpled as the tears started to spill from her eyes. To Germany's horror, she started to wail. "Veeeee, what is going on here? I don't like this at all. I want to go home and make pasta-"

_Now that's the Italy I know._

If this were Feliciano Vargas crying, Germany would just yell at him to man up. But he didn't know what to do with _this _Italy. Even though the two were extremely similar, she is a different person.

"Please stop crying," Germany grunted in an irritated voice. "It won't help anything. We need to stay calm and figure this out."

He ran his hand through his blonde hair and tried to breathe in and out to stifle the panic that was rising in his chest. This wasn't right. Something strange was going on…

The girl known as Daisy Vargas bit her lip to stifle her sobs and started to nod in agreement, her glittering eyes shining. Germany quickly looked away from her, his face starting to burn as he again addressed how pretty she was.

"Ve, you must be telling the truth. You act exactly like Louise," she remarked in a soft voice.

"Louise?"

"Louise Beilschmidt. Germany. Well, _my_ Germany," she said with a shaky sigh.

"Hmm. Well, you are very similar to Feliciano. Except you seem a lot stronger than him. He would've never defended himself like you did," Germany responded with a frown.

The two were silent for a moment, both their minds whirling uncontrollably. Germany kept taking deep breaths to keep himself calm. It appeared that Daisy was doing the same thing.

Then, something clicked in his mind.

"Daisy…I have a question. Are all the countries in your…uh…world female?" Germany asked, frowning at his sore arm as he realized that bruises were starting to form.

Daisy sniffled slightly and responded softly. "Ve, most of them. But Hungary, Belarus, Ukraine, and that one country…um…Liechtenstein I think…they're males. There are some others but I can't really name them off the top of my head…"

Germany's mind was running. He shook his head in exasperation as he responded, "It's the opposite for me. All of the countries in my world are male except for the ones you mentioned. So strange…it's almost like we're all counterparts of each other… representations of each other from a parallel universe."

He looked at Daisy to take in her reaction. She was staring at the floor, her arms limp at her side. She looked lost. Germany sighed and realized that this girl wouldn't be very helpful. After all, she is the girl version of Italy. As much as he liked his ally, he was pretty useless.

_At least she can throw a punch._

"This is so weird," she said softly with a frustrated sigh.

Germany straightened his back. He had to do what was right in a situation like this. Stay calm and figure out where the hell he was and why he was here. A good start would be to walk out of this room and start asking questions.

"Okay, first thing's first. We need to figure out where we are and why. We have to go out of this room and start investigating. I have a feeling that if we are here, then the others are as well, both from my world and yours. I don't know if there will be any danger, but if there is, we will need to work together. Are you willing to do that?" Germany asked all in one breath. He made sure that he sounded steady and demanding, despite his need to panic. He looked down at the Italian girl.

She was very short, barely reaching the middle of Germany's neck. She looked up at him with a fearful expression on her face, her cheeks lightly colored and her eyes swirling with a mixture of brown and amber…the exact same color as Italy's…_Feliciano's. _

Daisy bit her lip and responded, "Ve, I will work with you if you promise to protect me. In return, I will try my best to protect you…but to be honest, I'm kind of useless…"

Her cheeks burned a bit as she said this and Germany had to fight a smile at how…_cute _she was.

He kept his face impassive as he gave a curt nod and responded, "I promise."

In response, Daisy gently curled her hand and held it out in front of her, offering her small and slender pinky.

"Pinky promise?"

Germany was taken aback. A wave of déjà vu hit him as he remembered so many years ago during World War II when Italy had extended his pinky to him. To his surprise, his heart throbbed a bit. He sighed and extended his pinky as well and gently wrapped it around Daisy's.

The Italian girl smiled and withdrew her pinky. Germany felt his stomach flutter, but he ignored it.

"Ve! Alrighty! Let's go!" she exclaimed in a boisterous fashion.

Germany blushed as he looked down at what he was wearing. The nightgown really was humiliating.

"Um…"

He let his eyes wander over Daisy's figure and automatically wished he hadn't. The girl's nightgown was extremely thin and practically see through.

"Ah, _si. _We must change," she said as she looked down at her own outfit. She turned her head to quickly look around the room. Germany also scanned the room quickly, praying that there was something that may have extra clothes…

Finally, he spotted it. A large elegant and richly colored wardrobe that was propped against the opposite wall.

Germany made his way toward it with Daisy following behind. He grasped the cool sleep handle, pushed it, and opened it. The door was slightly heavy. To his dismay, there was nothing in the wardrobe.

_Dammit!_

"_Merda! _Now what are we going to do?" Daisy asked with an impatient tone.

Before Germany could respond, there was a fast knock on the big wooden door that led out of the bedroom. He immediately tensed and eyed the door suspiciously. He looked around at Daisy, who was eyeing the door with a flash of fear on her face.

The knocking started up once more. Then there was a voice.

"Hey, West! Open up! I know you're in there! You can't just ignore my awesomeness."

Germany's shoulders loosened in relief. He let out a huge sigh as he walked up to the door and opened it. There stood Prussia, who was leaning against the stone arch doorframe, with a smirk on his face. Germany took in his appearance.

_What the fuck is this dummkopf wearing? _

The Eastern nation was dressed in a long scarlet robe that flowed all the way to his ankles. He was also wearing a scarlet shirt with a strange golden crest adorned on it, as well as a belt that tied around his middle. He wore bright tights and curled shoes. On his fingers were a number of jeweled rings and on top of his bright white hair was a golden crown that seemed to gleam along with his irritating smirk and flashing red eyes.

Germany just stared at him, not sure of what to say.

Prussia gave a small laugh and said, "Yes, I do look awesome."

He then sauntered into the room past Germany.

Daisy gave a small squeak as she sprinted toward the bed and grabbed a handful of covers to shield her exposed body. She stared at Prussia with wide eyes. The Eastern nation's smirk increased at the sight of her.

Germany had to restrain himself from rolling his eyes. "Do you know what's going on?"

Prussia gave a shrug before responding, "Not really. I just woke up a few hours ago in a nice bedroom. I didn't know what the fuck was going on so I went exploring and what I found out is awesome!"

He continued on, "Apparently you and I are both Kings in this universe. We rule this whole fucking region! All of the locals call it umm…_Allegmita…_or something like that. But the nickname for it is _The Brother's Empire. _I just went a lot with it and pretended that I knew what I was doing. It was pretty easy. You just have to boss people around and act all high and mighty. It's pretty awesome to be called _King _Gilbert. I also managed to get information about you! Apparently you just recently got married to the princess Daisy Vargas and now she's the queen. I found that kind of weird because Italy's last name is Vargas and…"

He trailed off as he looked straight at Daisy, who was still eyeing Prussia wearily.

"Whoah!" his eyes widened. "She looks so much like Italy! That's kind of creepy!"

Germany face palmed and sighed. "She is Italy."

"What? Last time I checked, Italy was a guy…but then again-"

"No, she's Italy. But she's not Feliciano. Her name is Daisy, as you already know. We're not really sure What's going on, but I have a theory that in this world, all of us nations have counterparts that are the opposite gender. But I can't be quite sure. Italy…er…Daisy doesn't know what's going on either, but she claims that she's allies with a female Germany and a female Japan, and that all the nations in her world are female except for the ones that are female in our world. It's all switched. What I don't understand is why we're here," Germany explained, rubbing his temples to soothe the irritating headache.

Prussia took this information in with a blank expression. He looked back at Daisy, who was still hiding herself in a mass of blankets.

"So you mean, our female counterparts are walking around somewhere?" he asked slowly.

"I don't know. I haven't been outside this room, yet."

A smile crept on Prussia's face as he responded, clapping Germany's shoulder.

"Come on, west. Stop being so cautious and live a little. You're king here. You got a wife…who is still sexy despite the fact she looks exactly like Italy."

Germany's eyebrow twitched in irritation. He responded through gritted teeth, "We don't have time for that! This is urgent. We have to find out if the others are here and figure out a way to get out of here!"

Prussia sighed dramatically and shook his head. "Fine, fine. You need to take that stick out of your ass, west. I'll do the honors of calling up the servants so that you can get some awesome clothes like me."

He looked back over at Daisy with his gleaming red eyes. She glared back at him, her cheeks turning into the color of tomatoes.

"Hmph. Female counterpart huh? Kesese, I hope mine is hot."


	2. Two Kings and One Queen

Germany grimaced at the added weight that the large cape added to his body. The crown on his head was irritating and distracting, the jewels were bright and disorienting, and the tights were just…no. He glared at his brother, who was smirking at him, red eyes gleaming.

"Looking good, west."

Germany growled angrily in response, "_Mein Gott! _This is ridiculous!"

"Relax, bruder. At least you're not wearing that totally unawesome nightgown," Prussia responded, leaning against the stone wall next to the large window that displayed the vast green landscape.

Before Germany could respond, Prussia's eyes fixed over his shoulder and he gave a small appreciative nod, the smirk widening on his face. Germany spun around to see Daisy come out of the stone arched room with a flustered look on her face.

Germany's face immediately reddened at the sight of her. Her petite and slender body was covered by a long beige colored silk dress with a plunging neckline. It flowed all the way down to the floor and the material looked soft and delicate. Over her shoulders rested a red cloak not unlike the one that both Germany and Prussia had, but it was thin and fluid rather than thick and bulky as it traveled down the length of her body.

Her long brown hair fell over her shoulders and down her back in thick sleek waves with a few curls that framed her pink cheeks. On top of her head was a delicate scarlet wreath that looked much more ideal than the big bulky crowns that both the German brothers were wearing. Germany couldn't help but smile as he saw that no matter how much the servants have fixed her hair, her long thick curl still stuck out to the side, as prominent as ever.

_She's definitely Feliciano's counterpart._

"Kesesese, very cute, sweetheart," Prussia remarked before winking at her.

Daisy bristled and grabbed Germany's thick arm, pressing herself close to him. The blonde nation immediately stiffened and felt his face flush even further.

"Ve, don't talk to me like that! Only Ludwig can say that to me!" she snapped, narrowing her eyes.

"U-Uh…Daisy…you know that w-we're not-" Germany stuttered, his heart slamming against his chest as he gently tried to prod Daisy's grip off of his arm.

"I know," she responded with a joyful smile. "But in this world we _are_ married, so we might as well get into the spirit and blend in!"

Germany, however, could see the faint devious smirk on the girl's lips.

"E-Excuse me your majesties-"

The three nations turned their heads to see one of the small timid servants who had helped them dress into their outfits approach them. She had the appearance of a child, with her wide innocent blue eyes and a face expression filled with vivid fear.

"Is t-there is anything else you all need before you go on your stroll?" she asked, her limbs trembling. Germany felt slightly guilty as he looked at the terrified child. Of course, his idiot brother didn't help matters.

"Actually, I was wonderi-" Prussia started, straightening his back, his red eyes flashing.

Germany cut him off, feeling himself grow irritated with his brother's immaturity. "No thank you. That will be all. You are dismissed."

The girl gave a deep bow before turning on her heel and scampering off.

Prussia tsked his brother, shaking his head back and forth dramatically, leaning back against the stone wall. "West, you are an epic failure at being king."

Germany's eye twitched as his brother started to laugh.

"Ve, I think we should go outside now and explore the village. We might find the others," Daisy suggested as she glared at Prussia, her fists clenching and her shoulders stiffening. Germany stared at her. He still wasn't quite used to this yet…the fact that he is stuck with Feliciano's female counterpart in a parallel world where he and his brother shared a kingdom. Not to mention that he was married to the Italian girl and that she looked so much like Feliciano to the point that it was a bit unnerving.

However, despite their uncanny similarities, Germany realized that his friend Italy and this Italy were two completely different people. Feliciano was a fun-loving, boisterous, and irritatingly naïve man who waved the white flag whenever he had the chance. Daisy was…not. She was rather boisterous and fun loving, but she wasn't naïve. Germany could just tell that this girl was nowhere near as innocent as her male counterpart, and that she probably wouldn't be waving the white flag anytime soon. His body still ached from the bruises he had received from the girl's surprisingly strong and ruthless hits.

_Look on the bright side. At least you won't have to defend this Italy._

Yet, despite this obvious benefit, Germany knew that he would be devastated if he could never find his friend. He and Feli went through so much together and all he wanted to do now was find him and make sure he was okay here in this strange universe.

"Kesesese, I like this Italy better than the other one," Prussia remarked before pushing himself off the stone wall and sauntered ahead of his brother and Daisy. He looked over his shoulder, his red eyes shining mischievously as he said, "Just follow the awesome Prussia and no one gets hurt."

Germany gritted his teeth as he followed his stupid brother, who was walking as dramatically as he could, the kingly costume adding to the overall effect.

"Ve, he's a _fotutto _isn't he?" Daisy spat as she glared at the back of Prussia's head.

Germany sighed and answered, "_Ja."_

She grimaced and shook her head slightly. "He's exactly like Maria. It's scary."

"Maria?"

"Prussia. Well…Prussia in my world, at least. Ve, I can't stand her," she said, her voice laced with irritation. Germany found this extremely intriguing…seeing North Italy actually display some true anger. The day that he sees Feliciano get angry will be the day that aliens take over the world.

Wait…that almost already happened…

Germany didn't respond. They both walked awkwardly, side by side, trailing behind the Prussian with the inflated ego. They walked through massive endless stone halls with large windows and archways. They kept twisting and turning, reminiscent to a labyrinth. There were also so many narrow staircases that plunged further and further down. The place was reminiscent to a castle built in the middle ages.

Germany briefly wondered how much time his brother actually spent exploring. How could he possibly know where he was going in a place like this? It didn't help that the blonde was wearing ridiculously thick clothing that restricted his movements. Daisy seemed to be having the same problem as she constantly tripped over the hem of her long dress.

As they walked, both Germany and Daisy kept their lips shut. Prussia's voice filled what would've been awkward silence. The blonde nation tuned him out to the best of his ability, catching a few choice words such as "awesome."

He focused on the intricate stone architecture that surrounded him. He frowned. It really was similar to many of the old castles back in his country, but in a way, it was completely different. The walls here seemed…smoother? Brighter? He couldn't quite place it.

Finally, after traveling through endless narrow halls, the trio passed under an archway to enter a vast room. Germany's breath was taken away. The walls circled around them before soaring up to the ceiling, reminiscent to a tall Gothic cathedral. Everything was richly colored and finely detailed, with large colorful paintings that seemed to coat every square inch. The floor was a white shiny marble, contrasting finely with the domed ceiling. Across the room sat three large embroidered thrones with curled handles and silk.

Of course. This was the throne room.

"Isn't this awesome?" exclaimed Prussia. Germany watched in shock as his brother bounded across the room to one of the thrones and sat upon it, crossing his legs and putting one hand on each of the handles. His face seemed to light up and the blonde nation couldn't help but smile a bit at his brother's amazement.

"West! Take your rightful place at your throne!" he yelled, his voice echoing across the room.

Germany eyed the throne before sighing and shaking his head. He yelled back at his brother, his voice gruff and agitated, "We don't have time for this right now! We have to look for the others!"

"Aww, just for a little while, bruder!" he whined, his smile still intact. Germany gritted his teeth once again. He wondered how someone as immature as Prussia could've possibly raised him to be the nation he is today.

"Ve, you _idiota! _What if the others are hurt?" Daisy yelled, glaring at the albino.

"Kesesese. You guys are no fun. If you want to go outside, just turn around and open those doors. Or you know…we could always just holler for the servants to open them for us…" he remarked with a shrug.

Germany spun around, and sure enough, there were two large wooden double doors framed by a stone archway.

"Let's do this!" Daisy exclaimed, a determined expression crossing her features. She puffed out her chest and marched toward the huge doors.

She stopped about a foot from the doors and placed both her hands on the surface.

"Kesese, there's no way you can open that by yourself. According to the others here, it takes up to seven men to open-"

He was cut off as Daisy withdrew her hands before smashing her palms against the wood of the door. There was a loud bang that echoed throughout the circular room before one of the doors flew open with force, hitting the outside of the castle wall and moving back a few inches before resting at a complete still.

Bright sunlight streamed into the room and Germany immediately smelt the fresh scent of trees and grass. He gaped at the girl in shock and the bruises on his body seemed to throb even more. He looked over his shoulder at his brother, who was still sitting on the throne, a dumbstruck expression on his face.

"Ve! Let's go!" exclaimed Daisy with a huge smile before she whirled around and trailed out the door, her figure dissolving in the bright sun.

Germany stood there, stunned. After a few more seconds, he closed his mouth and wiped the shocked expression off his face, replacing it with a steely determination. He had one purpose and one purpose only.

He had to find the others and see if they were alright.

He had to see if Feliciano was okay…

"_Beeil dich, bruder," _he grumbled over his shoulder before he walked out of the door and into the sunlight.

The brightness temporarily blinded him, but after a few more seconds of blinking rapidly, his eyes adjusted. The sky was a bright blue dotted with clouds, which did little to shield the rays of sun that seemed to coat the land. The air had a gentle breeze that mixed gently with the warm temperature.

_It must be spring._

There were rolling lush green fields and dense forests stretched all the way to the distant rugged mountains that seemed to reach for the heavens. Small cottage like houses and various animals such as sheep and horses grazed freely here and there. Germany also saw that there were numerous people all in ragged dirt-stained clothes that were either sitting down and enjoying the sun or working laboriously.

_Such a rural civilization…_

"It's not all like this. Apparently if you travel down the road to the far left of the castle, there's around five thriving villages where trade and festivities occur. There's also a huge ass church somewhere around here. There are other empires not far from here, but I didn't really ask about them," Prussia stated as he exited the castle and approached Germany, who was standing next to an awe-struck Daisy.

"Let's go to one of villages first," Germany suggested, his throat feeling a bit dry.

_This is insane. How can this be happening?_

The three started to head what they presumed to be left, scaling the perimeter of the castle. Germany realized how huge it was. Its tall stone turrets towered ominously. It seemed to stretch and grow with each step he took.

He was also aware of how close Daisy was as they walked side by side. Her arm kept brushing against his and he could hear her steady breathing. He gritted his teeth together and kept his eyes forward. He didn't like feeling like this…all _flustered _around a woman. Especially a female counterpart of Feliciano.

Dread immediately started to fill his stomach. For some strange reason, the thought of the Italian man made him extremely worried. There was something wrong…

He didn't know what it was. He snuck a look at Daisy and gulped.

Something in his heart was telling him that he had to find Feliciano as soon as he could.

Daisy looked up at him with wide glittering eyes. She frowned at the German's expression.

"Ve, what's wrong?" she asked.

Germany breathed out and did everything in his power to maintain his stoic expression. He responded, "I just have a bad feeling about all of this."

"What do you mean?"

"I-I'm worried about Feliciano," he responded, his voice shaking a bit.

"He's my male counterpart, _si?" _she asked.

"_Ja."_

She sighed and a strange sadness settled over her shoulders as she said, "Ve, I understand. I have a bad feeling as well. I just…I want to make sure Louise is alright…but for some reason, I know that there's something wrong…"

Germany studied her. Her shoulders were slumped and her face was coated with dread and worry. He realized that this girl had the same type of bond with his female counterpart as he does with Feliciano.

"Ve, we'll find them. Don't worry Ludwig," she said with a shake of her head, snapping herself out of her dreary mood. She looked back up at Germany with a bright smile before reaching out and grabbing his hand, squeezing it slightly.

Germany's face immediately felt hot and his heart thundered in his ears. He quickly looked away in an attempt to hide the blush present on his face. Daisy, however, didn't notice. She just looked forward once again with a bright smile on her face.

She didn't let go of his hand.

Prussia looked behind his shoulder and smirked at his brother's red face. He let out a little laugh, but Germany gave his brother a warning glare. He raised his hands up in mock protest before spinning back around.

Germany was starting to sweat under the heat of the large gown. His feet also hurt from the ridiculous shoes he was forced to wear. Daisy hadn't let go of his hand and he was starting to worry that his palms were getting sweaty. After a few more minutes, Germany heard the faint sound of music. It grew clearer and clearer with each step he took. He also started to hear the sound of talking, yelling, and laughter.

The trio stepped over a few jagged rocks before they saw one of the villages before them. The small shops all looked old and medieval, but very…what's the word? Charming?

All different classes of people milled through the small crowded streets, some stopping at a few outdoor shops to trade some items. The enchanting sound of a flute and drum intertwined with the constant buzz of voices. A wonderful scent filled Germany's nostrils and his mouth watered. He didn't realize how hungry he was until now.

"Kesese. This is so awesome!" Prussia exclaimed before he puffed out his chest in a very "kingly" manner and bounded forward toward the village.

Germany exchanged looks with Daisy before they followed after the Prussian. She still kept a firm grip on his hand.

The effect was immediate.

The crowd seemed to freeze as they saw the two kings and the queen approach the village. Then, the crowd parted, staggering clumsily, yet swiftly to the sides, their eyes alight with adoration and obedience. Germany was taken aback by this. It was like the parting of the Red Sea.

The music even seemed to cease.

As he walked past the people, they all bowed their heads with respect. Some even muttered, "Your majesty."

All Germany could do was grunt slightly and nod awkwardly. He noted that his brother seemed a lot more confident with his smirks and winks and posture…

_Egotistical dummkopf. _

Germany scanned the various crowds, looking to see if there were any other nations around here. But it was very difficult to tell. There were just way to many people present.

Suddenly, through the strange respectful silence, there was an intermingling of loud yells.

"_Mierda! _Let go of me!"

Germany, Prussia, and Daisy froze. Germany's eyes widened as he recognized the voice. Sure enough, an armor clad man marched forward from the crowd, and he was dragging a flailing Spain with him. He was wearing what looked like a thin brown and torn rag for a shirt with patched pants.

Then, another armor clad man approached shortly after the first one did. He was dragging a petite girl with long dark wavy dark brown hair and big green eyes. Like Daisy, she also had a long curl that stuck out to the side. She kicked and squirmed and struggled against the man's unmoving grip.

"Fucking let go of me, you damn bastard!"

Germany's eyes widened as he stared at the girl.

This was Romano's female counterpart.

He quickly looked at Daisy, whose eyes were wide as she stared in shock at her sister.

"Your majesty," the first man said with a deep and flat voice as he addressed Prussia. "This man and this woman have been caught in the act of theft…"

"Aww, come on! It was only a bag of tomatoes-" Spain protested before looking up at Prussia. His eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. He stopped squirming.

"P-Prussia?" he choked out. The crowd stared at Spain as if he were crazy, some whispering in disdain. The female-Romano also stopped struggling, her eyes falling on her sister.

"Unhand them," Prussia announced. Germany could hear the smirk in his brother's voice.

"B-But your majesty…" The second man choked out.

"You dare defy me? I said unhand them," Prussia shot back. Germany caught a hint of dangerous aggression in his brother's voice. He always got strangely defensive when it came to both Spain and France. Germany never understood why.

Both the men threw the prisoners forward. Spain stumbled and fell forward onto the ground while female-Romano glared menacingly at her captor before thrusting her middle finger at his face.

"Fuck you!" she screamed at him before spitting at his feet. The man bristled and Germany watched as his hand instinctively twitched toward his sword.

However, Prussia cut in before anything else could happen.

"Well, clear off everyone! Go back to your business!" He yelled. Instantly, the crowd started to disperse into an unorganized mass. The talking started up once more and the music started to play.

Germany let out a breath of relief, but still felt self conscious as some of the people continued to stare and whisper. He looked back at Spain and female-Romano, who were both dusting off their disheveled ragged clothes. Germany automatically knew that in this universe, these two were at the bottom of the hierarchical ladder. He found himself studying female-Romano. Again, he was amazed by how much she resembled her male counterpart. Her moody facial expression was identical to his, the way she held herself was similar, and she cursed every other word.

Spain straightened his back, his eyes wandering over Prussia, Germany, and Daisy. After a moment of taking in their appearances, a grin spread across his face and his eyes shined.

"_Dios Mio_, you all got it pretty damn good in this world, didn't you?"


	3. Tomato Bitch and Tomato Bastard

Daisy looked into her sister's face. A sense of relief welled up within her, starting at the pit of her stomach and then clawing its way to her chest. Yet, she was taken aback by her sister's appearance. Her usual headband was gone, leaving her long dark wavy hair to fall freely around her face. Her tan face was coated with what looked like dust and soot. She wore a ripped shirt that was comparable to a dirty rag.

And she didn't have shoes.

Of course, being Katarina Vargas, or as most would call her, Romana-Ital y (with the exception of Daisy and Isabel), she looked absolutely pissed off. Nothing new there.

Daisy flung herself at her sister without another thought and threw her arms around her neck. She buried her face in her shoulder and cried out, "_Sorella!" _

"_Merda! _Get your hands off me, you pasta-loving _idiota!" _Katarina cried out as she struggled to detach herself from her sister. But Daisy just smiled and kept her arms around her. She was so glad that she was okay…and completely unchanged. Finally, after a few more seconds, she let go of Katarina and stared at her straight in the face, taking in her permanent angry expression and glittering hazel eyes.

"Ve, I'm just glad you're okay."

Katarina huffed and looked down at her feet, crossing her arms. "Well…I-I'm glad that you're okay as well."

"She's been making such a fuss about you all morning. It's so cute when little _'Tarina _gets angry," said the male version of what Daisy presumed to be Spain. She let her eyes travel over the man.

She was taken aback by how handsome he was. Then again, she wasn't surprised. Isabel Fernandez Carriedo is a very beautiful woman. Of course her male counterpart would be attractive. He had dark shaggy hair that curled slightly at the ends. His skin was tan, his eyes were a forest green, and his smile was slightly crooked and easy going. He was pretty tall as well, but not quite as tall as Ludwig.

Katarina bristled angrily and snapped at him, "Shut up, tomato bastard! And my name is Katarina! Get it through your fucking head!"

Daisy was taken aback by how the interaction between the two seemed so natural. It was almost like nothing changed, as if she were just talking to Isabel.

_Well, then again, this man is Spain as well. He and his female counterpart would have a lot of similar traits._

Daisy briefly wondered what her male counterpart was like. Ludwig didn't talk much about him. She just knew that his name was Feliciano Vargas and that he wasn't as strong willed as she was. Daisy frowned at the idea. She was hoping that her male counterpart would be at least somewhat grounded.

"Fusososo, there's no need to be so angry, _mi tomate," _he responded with a grin in her direction.

Daisy saw her sister blush before snapping, "No need to be angry? _What the FUCK_? We got caught stealing because of you, _bastardo!"_

"Ay, but you were the one who wanted the tomatoes so badly," he shot back easily, a playful fire in his eyes as he gazed at Katarina, his crooked smile widening.

Male-Prussia smirked again as he looked at Katarina. "So this is Romano's female counterpart. Kesese, how charming."

"I'll show you charming, you motherf-"

"Ah, ah, ah. Let's play nicely now. You know that is not the way you talk to people you've just met," Male-Spain insisted playfully.

Katarina grumbled under her breath, her cheeks going redder as she crossed her arms. She glared down at her bare feet once more and huffed angrily.

"We don't have time to stall. Spain, do you have any idea of what is going on? Have you seen any of the others?" Ludwig asked with a deep forcefulness in his voice, his piercing blue eyes trained on the attractive Spaniard.

Daisy's stomach did a little flutter as she looked up at Ludwig. She was amazed at how much like Louise he was. They were both serious, forceful, passionate, and adorably awkward when it came to normal socializing skills. Yet, they were both unique to each other…and not just in gender. Daisy couldn't quite place it. Nevertheless, after the initial shock of waking up in bed with this man, she found herself attached to Ludwig Beilschmidt. Maybe it was the fact that he was basically her best friend in male form. Or maybe it was something else entirely. She didn't know.

Spain gave a sigh before responding, "I say that we all have a sit down and catch up, _si?" _

Ludwig closed his eyes in irritation, his eyebrow twitching slightly. Daisy noted that this was a trait that both he and Louise shared. "There isn't enough t-"

"Oh come on, West_. _What's it gonna hurt if we just take a few minutes to have some food, maybe a drink or two, and just discuss things? Plus, we're royalty. We won't have to worry about money," Male-Prussia said with his trademark devious smile and glowing red eyes. He clapped Ludwig on the shoulder.

Daisy didn't say anything, but she hoped that Ludwig would cave. She did want to just sit down and relax for a bit. The aromas around her made her realize that she was starving. Plus, she wanted her sister to fully explain her side of the story.

"Fine," Ludwig finally sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "But only for a little bit."

The five managed to get seats at a small, but rather comfy tavern. Well, it wasn't much of a struggle. Ludwig, Prussia, and Daisy just had to make their presence known and they were being tended to right away.

Daisy found that she liked the tavern right away. It was unique and eccentric. It had almost a medieval Italian flair to it. They were escorted to the biggest and cleanest table there was and immediately, four hosts came to their aid, offering all types of drinks and food free of charge, admiration alight in their eyes as they bowed and apologized for any minor inconvenience.

Prussia, being Prussia, took advantage of the situation and demanded a full course sampler of their best food and drink, much to the anger of Ludwig.

"I believe that some introductions are in order, as we all don't know each other yet," Spain suggested light heartedly, his eyes landing on Daisy. He smiled at her and Daisy couldn't help but blush a little.

"Well, I'll go first. I'm the awesome Prussia! But I'm also known as Gilbert Beilschmidt, kesese."

So that was his name. Gilbert. Daisy scowled slightly at his tone of voice, but at least she knew what to call him now. She didn't like calling him Prussia. It was to strange for her. Even though she didn't like Maria, she felt that by calling Gilbert Prussia, that she was…replacing her.

Ludwig rolled his eyes, but spoke in a flat voice anyways, "Ludwig Beilschmidt, Germany."

Katarina glared at both Gilbert and Ludwig. "Damn potato bastards!" She growled, clenching her fists. Her eyes were mostly narrowed at Ludwig.

She spoke again, her heavy Italian accent becoming more prominent with each angry word.

"Listen here, you fucking potato eater. My younger sister is already corrupted by the stupid potato bitch back in our world. I don't need a bastard version of the bimbo swooping in and sticking it where-"

Ludwig cut her off with a bored sigh. "Nice to meet you too."

Daisy felt her cheeks become red with embarrassment and anger at her sister. Katarina never liked Louise, so it would be expected that she wouldn't like Ludwig. But she still got irritated nonetheless.

"Ve, _'Tarina!" _Daisy snapped at her sister, glaring at her.

Male-Spain gave a small laugh as he patted the top of Katarina's head.

"Ahh, you are exactly like Lovi. It's adorable."

However, at the mention of this _Lovi, _Male-Spain's shoulders slumped a bit and his expression was clouded with a hint of worry. Daisy presumed that this _Lovi _must be Katarina's male counterpart.

Katarina's eye twitched with continued irritation. Gilbert laughed at her expression, earning him a hard glare.

Male-Spain immediately transformed his facial expression into one of blissful cheerfulness. He turned to look at Daisy. "I'm Antonio Fernandez Carriedo, or Spain. Whichever one you prefer. I presume that you are Feliciano's counterpart and sister to _'Tarina _here?"

Daisy smiled back slightly and responded, "Ve, _si_. I'm North Italy. But you can call me Daisy."

"I got along well with Feliciano, so I'm assuming I'll get along with you as well," he said.

"What happened with you two?" pressed Ludwig, cutting across any further introduction. His hands were clenched, causing his knuckles to whiten. Daisy let out a breath lightly and placed her hand gently over Ludwig's hand, letting her thumb rub gently over his skin. He stiffened slightly, and she smirked when she saw that his face was flushing that cute red again.

"Nothing. I woke up on a fucking straw bed and nearly had a damn heart attack when I saw this stupid tomato bastard right next to me," Katarina snapped, glaring at Antonio again.

"Ay, _mi tomate. _You're hurting Boss Spain's feelings," he said clutching his heart mockingly.

"Fuck you."

"Anyways," Antonio said, ignoring Katarina's insult. "I woke up next to Katarina here. We were very confused to say the least. She kept screaming and throwing things at me so I couldn't think straight. It didn't get much better after I tried to explain to her who I was. I even grew a bit weary when she told me that she was South Italy. But for some reason I knew that she was telling the truth and so I assumed that we must all have opposite gender counterparts. So basically, we talked for a bit more and we both realized that we had no clue what was going on. I don't know where Lovi is-"

"And I obviously don't know where the hell my stupid tomato bitch is-" cut in Katarina.

But Antonio plowed on.

"So we spent all morning walking around outside, looking for any of the other nations. We didn't find anyone, but we did ask the locals for more information about this place. Apparently this region is called Allegmita, or the Brother's Empire."

"_Si. _We learned that it was ruled by two brothers and that one of the brothers recently got married, but we didn't think it would be _you bastards!" _Katarina snapped, crossing her arms as she glared at her sister. Daisy rolled her eyes slightly at this, but she couldn't help but realize that she would be feeling a bit pissed if she woke up in an alternate world to see that her sister was royalty and she was at the bottom of the class ladder.

"According to our clothes, and the way people have treated us, we're peasants. Some other locals seem to know us as well and apparently-" Antonio continued, a sly smirk slipping onto his lips as he looked over at Katarina, who whirled in her seat to glare at the Spaniard.

She waved her hands out wildly in front of her and growled, _"Don't you DARE say it tomato bastard!" _

"We're married. We have been for about a year now."

Katarina scowled, her cheeks flushing to a bright tomato red.

Daisy couldn't help but crack a smile at this. Antonio looked like he was desperately trying to hold back a laugh. Ludwig looked severely uncomfortable and irritated. Gilbert just kept smirking.

"_Che Palle! _I don't fucking care if we're married! It doesn't change the fact that you're a damn perverted bastard!" Katarina snapped, glaring at the table in front of her, her cheeks still bright red.

"Ve, settle down _'Tarina. _I'm also married in this world," Daisy tried to reassure her sister with a bright smile. She was suddenly very conscious of how smooth Germany's skin was as her fingers gently massaged his knuckles. Daisy saw that her sister was glaring at their connected hands.

"Don't be so rude, _mi esposa, _I always told Lovino how rude it was to interrupt people when they are talking, so I'm assuming your Isabel taught you the same thing," Antonio said with a mock-stern voice. Then he laughed. "But then again, Lovi never listened. I'm not too surprised that you don't either," He chimed, giving Katarina's face a poke.

Katarina slapped his hand away.

"Anyways, I have some other information about this universe," Antonio continued, his face growing serious. "Apparently, there are two sides to it: a light side and a dark side. They both have specific names, but I don't remember them. Anyways, we're on the light part of this universe. Everything is pretty normal here-well…as normal as it can get anyways. But the dark part of this universe is not far from here at all. The two parts are connected by a large bridge and the border is poorly defended. Katarina and I saw it when we were walking to the village from our house. You can't see much of the other side because it's all shielded by trees, but I got this really bad feeling when I was over there."

"So you mean, this whole universe is divided? Kind of like when West and I were separated by that totally un-awesome wall for the longest time?" Gilbert asked, his face displaying interest for once. Daisy found herself intrigued by this information. For some reason, a chill went down her spine at the idea of what sort of place lied beyond the bridge.

"_Si, _you can say that. But from the reactions I've seen from locals, the other side is bad. Really really bad. And that's not the worst part," Antonio paused dramatically, his eyes gleaming hauntingly before he continued. "The people of this world have to paint the symbol of a cross on their doors with sheep's blood every day and then lock themselves in their houses before sundown because every night, the beings from the other side of the universe breach the border and come to this part of the land to attack. They'll kill anyone who is either out and about, or doesn't have pig's blood on their doors. And apparently, due to the high numbers of homelessness and poverty in this universe, there is an average of about one hundred deaths per city in this universe. I don't know what kind of beings live on the dark side, but it doesn't sound good at all."

Daisy found herself clutching Ludwig's hand firmly. She felt sick to her stomach at the idea of these poor people having to go through this every night.

"I-I don't understand. Why is it like this?" Ludwig asked, his eyes wide and his face pale.

Antonio just shook his head. "I don't know. It's awful isn't it?"

By the time the food and drink arrived, the only one really eating anything was Gilbert. Although… Ludwig did down a lot of what Daisy presumed to be some sort of alcohol. Daisy found herself extremely unsettled at the idea of this "dark side." Yes, it was a disturbing thing in general, but something about just screamed danger to her. It was a clawing feeling in the pit of her stomach and it squashed her former hunger.

"But, on another note, I have something else to tell you," Antonio inquired in a more cheerful tone as he pushed his plate away from him. His eyes glimmered mischievously as he said, "You know how there are other empires not far from here? Well, there is one called Rugaska. It's South from the very last village in Allegmita. I say we make our way over there. I think that if we go really fast, we can make it there before nightfall."

"Why the hell would we want to go there?" Gilbert asked, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Because the name of Rugaska's empire…" Antonio smiled deviously. "Is Ivan Braginski."

There was a stunned silence at these words. Daisy and her sister exchanged confused looks as they looked at both Ludwig and Gilbert, whose eyes were wide with shock. Maybe this Ivan Braginski was another male counterpart of another nation…but who…

Then it clicked in Daisy's mind.

Ivan Braginski… Anya Braginskaya…

_Russia. _

Daisy shuddered. She didn't want to admit it, but that girl frightened her to no end. She was the only nation she was hesitant to pick a fight with and the only one who could display more strength than Daisy when angered. Daisy didn't like her creepily innocent smile, her flashing purple eyes, her long beige colored hair, the way she always carried a shovel around with her…

She could only imagine what this _male _Russia was like. And judging by the expression on both Gilbert's and Ludwig's faces…he must be just as bad…or worse.

Katarina seemed to understand as well, for her face had gone suddenly pale.

Suddenly, Gilbert's face crumbled to anger. "Why the fuck would we want to go to that jackass?"

Antonio sighed and shook his head. "Look, I know you both don't like him very much, but we have to stop lingering on the past for now and focus on what's happening now. He's the only one I know the location of and if we go there, we can get him to help us and see what he knows about this place…"

Ludwig looked like he was about to protest but…

Daisy could see Antonio's point. She didn't like Anya, and she knew she probably wouldn't like this Ivan very much, but she knew that they were all fellow nations. As frightening as Russia is, Daisy knew that she would always be there to help if she was really needed.

She stood up from the table and puffed out her chest defiantly. "Ve, Antonio's right! I say we go to Rugaska and talk to this Ivan."

"But D-Daisy-" Ludwig started.

"I know that he's Russia. Even in my world, Russia is scary. But we have to try, don't we? We don't know where everybody else is!" Daisy stated, glaring at both Ludwig and Gilbert.

Suddenly, Katarina stood up as well. "As much as I hate to admit it, the tomato bastard and my idiot sister are right. I say we go to Rugaska."

Antonio smirked, his eyes glinting. "Well, well. The ladies have spoken, _mis amigos." _

"Fuck. This is totally un-awesome," Gilbert snapped.


	4. The Road to Rugaska

Prussia came up with a wild explanation as to why they were allowing the "commoners" into the palace. Germany would rather not repeat it. Even the poor servants and guards looked mentally scarred. The five planned to come back here, ask around for basic provisions, as well as directions to Rugaska, and then head out right away to save time. They didn't necessarily want to find themselves in the middle of the road when night fell.

However, all Germany wanted to do once he was inside the castle was to take this ridiculous clothing off. He was sweating under the thick red cloak, the tights seemed to be getting tighter and tighter, the shoes were hurting his feet, and the crown kept slipping over his forehead and into his eyes. Daisy also complained about her attire, saying that she couldn't walk two steps without tripping over the hem of her dress.

However, Prussia insisted that if they take off these clothes and change into peasant's clothes, the guards at Rugaska may not permit them to see Ivan. To Germany's disappointment, he realized that his brother had a point.

"Ve, there is no way I am walking all the way to a different empire in this shit!" Daisy pressed, glaring at the smirking albino as she pulled at her hair.

Katarina smirked at her sister, apparently enjoying watching her sister complain about her royalty clothing. Germany had to admit that even though it looked unpleasant, both the peasant clothing still looked a lot more comfortable.

"Aren't there other clothes around here? Kings and queens must travel sometimes, don't they? There isn't any transportation in this world so people travel by foot here. There's no possible way that the kings or queens would walk far distances in _that," _Spain reasoned, frowning at Prussia's clothing.

"Kesesese, you guys are a bunch of un-awesome crybabies! If it matters so much to you, I'll go ask the servants for some damn royal travel clothes or something," Prussia remarked, crossing his arms.

"Then go now. We need to hurry," Germany persisted.

"Yeah. Move your ass, potato bastard," Katarina spat at Prussia impatiently.

He glared at her. "There's a reason I never liked Romano…"

"Hey, hey! Don't insult Lovi or _'Tarina!" _

"Shit! Don't call me that!"

"Ahhhh, boss Spain knows you like it..."

"Ughhhh!"

Germany found his irritation flaring up once again. They weren't going to get anywhere if everyone kept this up. Then again, he should've expected as much. His company did consist of both Italys (sort of), Spain, and his idiot brother.

"We have to get going! _Mein Gott! _I'm surrounded by children!" Germany snapped. He glared at his brother, who raised his hands up in mock surrender.

"Okay, okay west! Jeez! Stop murdering me with your eyes. I'm going!" Prussia said before turning around and exiting the room.

Germany's eyes subconsciously flittered to Daisy, who gave him a tender smile before she reached out and grasped his hand again.

"Ve, calm down Ludwig. It's going to be alright. I promise," she said. Germany's stomach started to flutter once again and he felt his face heat up once again before he quickly looked away from her face and down at her feet.

"U-um…" he choked.

Katarina scoffed. "Disgusting," she spat, regarding both her sister and Germany.

Spain smirked before opening his mouth, but Germany shot the nation a warning glance. Spain closed his mouth, but his eyes were still twinkling as he looked down at the intertwined hands.

After a while, Prussia finally returned with two servants, whose hands were filled with clothes.

Germany slyly slipped his hand out of Daisy's grasp.

"Apparently, there are some awesome travel clothes for royalty around here," Prussia remarked.

The two servants were both small girls, their arms overflowing with clothing. They avoided everyone's eyes by looking down in what looked like embarrassed modesty. Germany immediately felt a twinge of pity for them. He didn't necessarily like this whole servant business…

The servants started with Daisy first, ushering her into the large room opposite them before closing it. After a few minutes, she came back out with a smile on her face. She definitely looked relieved to be out of her other clothing.

She now wore a silky red top, delicately embroidered with the shining crest of a lion. She wore loose pants that flowed down before tightening at her ankles and her hair was tied up in a bun, a few curls falling around her face. Around her hips was a jeweled belt with a hilt, where a long sword was safely attached.

Germany's mouth dropped open at the sight of her. If it was possible, she looked even more beautiful like this than in her formal queen's clothing. Germany didn't know how to describe it…but she seemed more…in character. There was a fire in her eyes and she walked toward them with more grace and confidence.

Germany went next into the room, and then Prussia. Their heavy capes were replaced with light, but hard chain mails that draped down their chests. Their tights were shed for loose trousers as well. The servants equipped them with swords and their ridiculous shoes were replaced with comfortable tall boots. They were definitely not the military boots that Germany was accustomed to, but they were still strong and comfortable.

"Dammit, those other shoes were badass," Prussia remarked, much to Germany's annoyance.

Once they were done being equipped, Germany asked the one of the servant girls with the gentlest voice that he could manage, "Our two other friends are unequipped. Is it possible if you can bring some weapons here for them to choose? I'm talking about the two…er…commoners."

Based on the girl's facial expression, Germany hadn't succeeded in sounding gentle. Nevertheless, she nodded fervently and ran off.

Germany exited the room and informed both Spain and Katarina that they were being brought some weapons.

"Alright! Thanks, Germany!" Spain remarked with a huge smile. Katarina just huffed and glared down at her feet. The blonde nation frowned at her in annoyance. She may be his counterpart, but she was exactly like Romano. At least Daisy displayed some unique traits from her male counterpart.

_Like the fact that she is extremely strong and willing to fight._

The servant girls returned this time with a huge red bag full of weapons, both of them struggling under the weight as they carried it as delicately as they could. They laid it down in front of them, undid the bindings and stepped aside.

Spain immediately dove into the bag, tossing aside various daggers, swords, and other contraptions.

"Ahhh, dammit you tomato bastard! Watch where you're throwing this shit! You almost impaled me!" Katarina growled angrily. However, her eye caught a gleaming silver sword at her feet. She bent down and picked it up by the handle.

"Ah-hah!" Spain announced in a boisterous way as he swung a huge axe.

Germany and Daisy both stumbled back out of instinct.

"Jeez, Spain. You're going to kill someone!" exclaimed Prussia, glaring at his friend.

Spain just gave a chuckle as he gazed at the sharp blade of the axe in a strange admiration. He sighed slightly and said, "Hmmm…Reminds me of my pirate days…"

"Um…didn't you use a sword all the time?" Prussia asked.

Spain just laughed at his face in response. "You're funny, Prussia."

The albino nation looked genuinely confused.

"Ve, now that we've gotten our weapons, we need to…uh…what do we do?" Daisy asked, crinkling her eyebrows.

"First, we have to inform the guards that we are departing. According to Prussia, this place is pretty restrictive, so we have to make a special request for no soldier accompaniment. I don't believe we'll need food, as Rugaska is supposedly close and we're supposed to get there before nightfall. But water…" Germany said in his authoritative voice.

"There's no need for that. There is a very clean river that flows through each empire. We'll be following its path to Rugaska. Many travelers use it as a drinking source," Spain remarked, still gazing at his axe. Katarina was glaring at him, her fingers wrapped around her sword.

"Let's go then!" Prussia exclaimed.

Prussia managed to notify the guards and other members of the castle that they would be leaving for a while and that a messenger ought to spread the news to the rest of the empire. Although many insisted that they bring soldiers, especially when entering such an authoritative and cold kingdom such as Rugaska, Prussia stated that they would be traveling alone.

After a few more moments of talking, a group of armor clad men pushed the huge throne room doors open for them. Daisy huffed and Germany couldn't help but smile at the thought that this girl easily pushed those doors open herself.

The two kings and queen, plus Spain and Katarina all walked out of the doors and into the bright sunlight once again. To Germany's amazement, the path was lined with many locals, all whom were waving goodbye to them and bowing in respect.

That must've been a very fast messenger….Hmmm…

He wondered how the communication system worked in this universe…

Germany found himself awkwardly nodding to acknowledge individuals. Daisy was smiling brightly as she waved at everyone easily. Prussia walked authoritatively with that smirk on his face, puffing out his chest, and winking at some awestruck girls. Both Spain and Katarina looked out of place as they walked closely behind the three royal officials, both of them standing close to each other.

Both of them clutched each other's hand out of instinct.

Finally, they found the crowds growing thinner and thinner until they reached the wide open gates. Once they exited, Prussia turned around to give one last wave. Finally, they were on their way.

"Ahh, finally we're making some progress!" Spain exclaimed, marching ahead of the crowd, dragging a flustered and red faced Katarina with him.

"Argghhh, let go of my hand, idiot!" she snapped.

He ignored her, keeping his fingers intertwined with hers. She let out a frustrated breath, but she didn't say anything, keeping her hand in his, her cheeks still bright red.

"And I see the river!" Prussia remarked, pointing ahead to a flowing river that sliced through the grassy earth. The sound of rushing water was melodic and Germany found that it actually relaxed his high strung nerves. The group walked up to it and then started to walk along its trail, letting Spain lead the way. The river gurgled and splashed its way onward in a swift motion. The water was clear and crystalline as it glittered under the bright sun.

"So which villages will we run into along the way?" Germany asked.

"If I remember correctly, we should hit _Akreeka_ first and then pass through _Malik _shortly afterwards. We won't have time to stop for food, but we might be able to grab something on the way if it's really necessary. We might run into some other nations if we're lucky," Spain answered, looking at Germany over his shoulder, smiling. Germany realized that both Katarina and Spain were walking very closely to each other, their hands still intertwined gently….

Germany found himself feeling awkward as he glanced to his side down at Daisy, whose glittering eyes were set forward, a determined look on her face. He found himself smiling in despite of himself again.

_Ack! This is NOT the time for your hormones to actually start functioning!_

The nations walked on for a while in peace. Germany tuned out Spain's constant babble, Prussia's self declaration of his "awesomeness," and Katarina's angry insults. He started to think about Italy. His Italy. Veneziano…Feliciano.

Where the hell was he? And why was Germany still getting this awful feeling about it all? What if he's hurt?

Germany's frown deepened. He's not there to save him if he's hurt. The blonde nation found that his panic level was starting to peak again. He took a deep breath and bit his lip.

"Ve, Ludwig. You look worried," Daisy remarked. She frowned up at him, her curls bouncing as she walked, her brown eyes soft as she gazed up at his face.

Germany grunted, quickly looking away. "I'm…fine. Just worrying again."

She sighed. "I understand. But, it's like I said. We'll find them."

They both silent once again.

"I really hope that Louise is alright," she finally spoke. Germany was alarmed by the tone of her voice. He quickly looked down at her to see that her face had crumpled. Her lip was trembling slightly and her eyes were moist.

Shit.

He prayed that she wouldn't start crying.

Thankfully, she quickly wiped her tears away and gave herself a little shake, forcing herself to smile.

"Ve, I'm just overreacting. S-She's f-fine," she stated, more to herself than anything. Yet, she didn't look convinced.

Something seemed to pull slightly at Germany's heart. Without realizing it, he found that he had reached out and grasped her hand this time…for once.

She gasped in surprise before looking up at him. He smiled embarrassedly at her, feeling his face heat up at his actions, but he knew it was the right decision, for she started to smile as well…truly smile.

It was a smile that he's seen many times before…on Feliciano's face…

He'll be alright. He's fine. Daisy's right.

"I-It's…um…" he stuttered.

"Hmmm?" she looked back at him with wide eyes. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. He immediately wished that he hadn't spoken.

With a sigh, he finished his thoughts.

"It's…nice to h-have someone s-so grounded. It's…a bit strange for me, you know…to have an Italy b-by my side who isn't crying or clinging to my shirt or raising the w-white flag…"

And it was true. He didn't know much about these counterparts, but he was still surprised by how different Daisy was from Feliciano. They definitely had strikingly similar qualities, but…compared to how similar Katarina and Lovino were, Feli and Daisy were like…polar opposites.

Germany found that he genuinely…liked Daisy. A lot.

But…

Daisy sighed before asking gently, "What's he really like? My counterpart I mean?"

He looked forward, his hand tingling from her touch. "Well…he's very emotional. He cries a lot. He's really fast, but he hates training. He runs away whenever there's danger and he always gets in these hopeless situations and I always have to save his ass. He takes a lot of siestas and flirts with women whenever he has the chance. He's always hungry and absolutely loves pasta and pizza…and…and…he's always smiling…"

Daisy frowned slightly before saying, "Hmm…he sort of sounds…um…er…"

"Like a complete _dummkopf? Ja, _I know," he stated, a small smile forming on his lips.

"But…you miss him, don't you? You'll do anything to get him back, won't you? He's your best friend…" she remarked softly.

Germany closed his eyes, feeling as if someone was twisting his heart with bare hands. He breathed out shakily and answered…

"I'll do anything."

Daisy nodded with a satisfied smile. "Of course you would. You're exactly like Louise. To the point it's scary."

She gave a small laugh. "I piss her off all the time. Her face is so funny when she yells at me. Sometimes she's kind of scary though. She's really strong and she's always serious…but I'm the only one who knows how to break her down. She's my complete opposite."

Germany's interest spiked. "Louise…Beilschmidt? She's my counterpart, right?"

Daisy nodded with a small chuckle. "Yes. As I mentioned before, she's my best friend. It's funny…you guys could be siblings. Of course, she's much smaller than you are and she's a girl…but otherwise you guys actually sort of look alike. You two have identical personalities. Hmmm…"

She bit her lip slightly in concentration. "I wonder what the other counterparts are I like…I mean. The ones I've seen so far are pretty much identical in personality. Gilbert acts exactly like Maria, Antonio and Isabel's personalities are also identical, and from what I've heard…apparently my sister's counterpart acts like her as well…"

Germany nodded fervently. "Yes. You're sister is _exactly _like her counterpart."

Daisy laughed, the corner of her eyes crinkling as she threw her head back.

"We're here!" exclaimed Spain, disrupting Germany and Daisy's conversation.

"Ack! Don't scream so fucking loud!" Katarina snapped…yet she didn't make any movement to remove her hand from Spain's.

"Kesese, finally!" Prussia exclaimed.

The group made their way to the village before them. Germany realized that it was nowhere near as busy or lively as the one back at his empire.

It was more…rural, if that was even possible. Thatched hut like houses lay here and there. People walked around in ragged brown clothing and straw hats, pulling on ropes that dragged squealing pigs. The outdoor market was stock full of produce and the bleating of sheep filled the air.

"Ve, this is _Akreeka?" _Daisy asked, a bit dumbfounded.

"It fucking smells like shit!" Katarina exclaimed.

"Ugh…totally un-awesome!" Prussia remarked.

Spain just kept smiling as he walked forward, dragging Katarina with him. The others followed close behind. They seemed to attract a lot of attention from the locals, especially Germany, Prussia, and Daisy. Their nice and fancy clothing proved to be a factor.

"It's a small village, so we'll just keep on going. They don't seem to recognize that you are royal officials, so I don't think we can get any produce without some form of currency…" Spain said, but he was interrupted by a tall man with tan skin, stringy black hair, thick arms, and black beady eyes.

He leered down at Katarina, his expression causing even Germany to bristle.

"Er…may I help you?" Spain asked, frowning.

The guy gave a dark laugh and inched closer to Katarina, who stared at him with an expression of horror. She slowly backed away.

"Hmmm…what a pretty girl. What is a pretty girl like you doing around here?" the guy asked in a thick sultry voice. He bent down to look at Katarina straight in the face.

Spain started to glare. His grasp on her hand tightened as he pushed her back slightly, standing in front of her.

"We were just passing. It's no concern to you," Spain snapped at the man.

"Awww, c'mon fella. She's such a fine piece of flesh ain't she? How much did you pay for her? I'll pay you twice that for just a night…" he leered, reaching out and stroking Katarina's hair.

"Ack! Don't fucking touch me, you stupid bastard!" she snapped, pulling away and standing behind Spain. She clutched on to his arm.

Spain's green eyes flashed dangerously and he brought up the axe threateningly.

"Don't you dare touch her, _pendejo!" _He growled.

The man laughed, his beady eyes narrowing dangerously. "Ahh, you want to play that way, pretty boy? Alright. Let's play!"

With a swift movement, the man withdrew a dagger from the side of his pocket and attempted to stab Spain in the chest. Spain dodged and grabbed the man's arm, twisting it at an odd angle, causing the man to howl in pain.

Germany, Daisy, and Prussia all took out their weapons. But the man was quick to recover. He jumped up with amazing speed and made a movement to pounce on Spain.

Before Germany, Daisy, or Prussia could react, Katarina jumped in front of Spain, withdrew her sword and plunged it right into the man's stomach.

A look of fiery rage coated her face, her eyes flashing dangerously and her cheeks a violent red. Her limbs were shaking as she withdrew her sword, which was now painted in blood.

The man crumpled on the ground, choking and coughing up blood.

"No one…and I mean NO ONE attempts lay a hand on my husband!" she hissed before spitting right at the man's face.

The four other nations stood there stunned, their mouths wide open in shock.

Spain's eyes were the widest of all. He stared at the back of Katarina's head.

"K-Katarina…" he choked out.

"MURDER! MURDERRRR!"

Fuck!

The nations looked up to realize that many people were now pointing at them and yelling at the top of their lungs.

"SEIZE THEM!" Someone yelled.

"V-Ve, Ludwig…" Daisy whimpered.

"Ummm…shit…I think we should…" Prussia started.

"RUN!" Katarina screamed. She grabbed Spain's hand and shot forward, dragging the still stunned nation with her. Prussia, Germany, and Daisy took off after them, running as fast as they could.

The people started to chase after them, abandoning their posts and plunging pitchforks and other crude looking weapons in the air.

_Mein Gott! I can't believe I'm being chased by an angry mob…._

Germany increased his speed, grabbing Daisy's hand so that she wouldn't fall behind. He caught up with Prussia, who yelled out, "AHHHHH! THIS IS SOOO NOT AWESOME!"

Germany looked over his shoulder to see that the angry crowd was advancing, their rabid faces now so close…calling for blood…

What the hell was wrong with this village?

The nations made a sharp turn left and squeezed themselves into a crevice in between two buildings.

"Ack! You're stepping on my foot!"

"Shut up, you bastard!"

"V-Ve…'_Tarina…" _

"This sucks!"

The angry crowd charged past their hiding spot, their jeers slowly fading away as they kept moving forward.

They all gave a sigh of relief.

"Fuck! We have to leave, now!" Prussia hissed, his face displaying anger.

"Yeah, but we can't risk going out there now! These people are crazy!" Germany stated.

Spain didn't say anything.

"Right, so now what are going to do?" Daisy asked.

However, before anyone could answer...they heard something.

"_Psssstt!" _

They all shut their mouths.

"D-Did you hear something?" Germany asked.

"_Over here! Pssstt! PSSSTTTT!" _

The nations looked around frantically, but then Daisy's eyes landed on the small house opposite from their hiding spot. The door was cracked open and a young man was poking his head out. His eyes were on them and he was motioning for them to go over there.

"Ve, over there!" Daisy exclaimed in a whisper, pointing over to the man.

Prussia and Spain looked over to where the Italian was motioning and their eyes widened.

"_Dude, hurry up! They'll circle around any second!" _

"A-America?" Germany choked out.

It was indeed America. His sandy blonde hair was unmistakable and his sparkling cerulean eyes popped out. The only thing missing were his glasses.

The nations hurried over to the house. America held the door open for them. They all clambered inside before the man shut the door behind him and locked it.

America turned around to face the other dumbstruck nations.

"Hey guys! I'm so glad I saved you guys! I am the hero after all!" He burst out, smiling at all of them.

"America…I-I…" Germany choked out, still lost for words.

"Just be glad I saved your sorry asses."

Daisy examined Emily Jones's counterpart. She had a strange desire to laugh. He may look a lot different from Emily, but they sure as hell acted the same and had that same smile. He was really tall and he had broad shoulders. He had sandy blonde hair with a stray piece of hair that stuck up near his forehead. His smile was boyish and he had bright sparkling eyes that suggested youth and oblivion.

Germany spoke again. "America…what's happened to you so far? Why are you here? Have you seen any of the others? What…"

"Dude, calm your shit," America answered with a look of annoyance on his face. Germany felt irritation flare up within him.

"How can I just be calm when…" he growled.

However, America ignored him. His eyes first landed on Katarina, and then on Daisy.

He smiled. "So, both the Italys have been replaced by their counterparts as well?"

"H-How do you know about the counterparts?" Prussia spluttered.

America shrugged, a grim look shadowing his face. "I've suspected for a while that all the nations have opposite gender counterparts. After all, I've already met mine."

"W-What? H-How?"

"It was a long time ago. During the civil war. Her name was Emily F. Jones and she led the confederacy. That bitch was a piece of work," he said, frowning, a haunted look shadowing his face.

Daisy and Katarina looked at each other in shock. They both never really paid attention to America during the civil war and they never asked Emily about it. But…now it all makes sense…

"Oh," Germany answered, his mind racing.

Suddenly, there was a sound from another room…it sounded like a crashing plate.

Then a tentative shy voice…

"Um…E-England? I don't think you s-should be cooking…"

"Bloody hell, Canada! My cooking is amazing so shut up you snot-nosed twit!"

Another crash, and then a yell.

"Ahhhhh….Englaannndd…."

"It's just a small fire! Calm down!"

"You're making it worse!"

Another crash.

Both voices were female. Germany assumed that both England and Canada must've been replaced with their female counterparts as well.

America's face paled. "Shit. She's cooking again. She's just as bad as Arthur…"

Daisy's eyes were wide. "It's Alice and Meg!" she exclaimed before she broke away from Germany and bolted toward the other room.

"D-Daisy…" Germany choked out.

The other nations followed her into the other room and Germany immediately coughed as the smoke surrounded him.

"Hold on…I almost got it…out…" choked female England. Germany could barely make out her figure in the thick smoke. He did however see orange flames.

America groaned. "Fucking hell, Alice! I already told you that you aren't allowed in the kitchen! Jesus!"

"Shut up you stupid git! You can't control me! My cooking is bloody exceptional!" she snapped back.

With a hiss, the fire was finally put out as someone doused the flames with water. America quickly ran to the windows and opened all of them. The smoke started to trail out.

"Meg, I almost had it out! There was no need to intervene!" Female England, or _Alice, _snapped.

"B-But…"

"Just get out of the kitchen. We'll worry about the damage later," America said with a sigh. Germany was surprised to hear that he actually sounded like the responsible one here.

They all clambered out of the kitchen and back into the small dingy living room. Germany regarded the female versions of both England and Canada.

Even though they didn't necessarily look like their counterparts, Germany was able to tell who was who just by their facial expressions. England's counterpart had long straight brown hair that was pulled into two pigtails. She wore dull brown ragged clothes similar to both Spain and Katarina and soot smeared her pale face. Her green eyes were flashing dangerously. If it weren't for her snobbish expression, she'd be quite pretty.

Canada's counterpart was very small, quite a bit shorter than England's counterpart. Her hair was a sandy blonde similar to America's and it was also pulled into pigtails, but they were shorter and curly. She had a shy expression on her face with big blue eyes. She was also covered in soot. Germany could immediately tell that like her counterpart, she was probably one that would fade into the background.

England's counterpart looked at the other nations in the room with eyes of disdain. "What the bloody hell is this?" She snapped, glaring at everyone.

"Ve, Alice…" Daisy started cautiously.

"Daisy? K-Katarina? B-But who…" Alice stuttered.

But Prussia interrupted her. He smirked at both the girls and said, "Let's start with introductions shall we? I'm the awesome Prussia, but you can call me, Gilbert Beilschmidt."

Alice opened her mouth, but then closed it.

Spain smiled gently, but his eyes seemed to narrow at England's counterpart. "Antonio Fernandez Carriedo, Spain."

Alice glared at him, her mouth curling into a snarl. Germany resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Regardless of gender, England and Spain still hate each other.

"Um…Ludwig Beilschmidt…Germany," Germany grunted, feeling extremely awkward again. How many damn introductions would he have to make?

"Well girls, aren't you going to introduce yourselves?" America asked with a smirk playing on his lips. He rose an eyebrow at Alice, curled her lips in disgust.

"Don't tell me what to do you tosser!" she snapped.

Canada's counterpart gave a meek smile and spoke in a whispery voice, "M-My name is Meg Williams. I'm Canada."

She looked up and made eye contact with Prussia. He gave her a crooked smile and her face turned red before she immediately looked back down at her feet.

Alice was glaring at the floor and she spat through gritted teeth, "Alice Kirkland, England."

"That wasn't so hard was it, Alice?" America said in a smug voice, causing Alice to bristle up once again. He then turned to look at both Daisy and Katarina with a huge dazzling smile.

"My name is Alfred F. Jones. I'm America and hero of the world!" he exclaimed boisterously.

Germany rolled his eyes. Alice scoffed.

Daisy smiled and responded, extending her hand, "Ve, I'm Daisy Vargas. I represent North Italy. My sister's name is Katarina, and she represents the South."

Katarina mumbled something under her breath and sounded like, "Burger bastard."

America shook her hand, and attempted to shake Katarina's as well, but she just glared up at him and let out a stream of curse words.

"Alright, now that we've got this all settled, we've got some things to talk about," Germany grumbled, uncomfortable with being introduced to even more female counterparts of fellow nations.

He turned to America. "America, what have you found out about this place?"

America gave a shrug. "Not much. I just woke up to find myself in this sucky place. I sort of walked around and then found those two sleeping in another room. I was obviously freaking out because there were two chicks with me in this crap hole. So I woke them up and found out that they were female versions of both England and Canada..."

"And I thought that dealing with Emily was awful. Why the bloody hell am I always stuck with America?" Alice huffed with a frustrated tone.

"Er…Alice…" Meg said.

"…Even in a parallel universe, I'm stuck with her male counterpart, who is just as bad…if not even _worse…"_

"Hey, bitch, chill out! The hero's sorta in the middle of something here!" America snapped his eyes narrowing at Alice.

She glared menacingly at him, her green eyes glinting maliciously, but she still closed her mouth.

"Anyway, as I was saying, we all started to freak out, but then I remembered the civil war and how I actually fought my female counterpart and I put the pieces together…"

"Something your abnormally small brain usually cannot do…" Alice remarked.

"Can you stop insulting me for one second?" hissed America, squeezing his eyes shut in irritation.

"Erm…no," she responded.

"Alice…" Daisy said cautiously.

America plowed on. "So we went outside and looked around the village and tried to get as much information as I could about this place and how it worked and who I was here. I learned that this place is called _Akreeka _and it's a sort of debtor's village, a place for rebels and poor people. People who run away or revolt come here all the time. It's pretty sketch if you ask me. And it smells bad. So I was wondering why the hell I would be here. Apparently in this universe, Alice was the daughter of a royal family in some other empire and she was being forced to marry some holier-than-thou prince when, really, she was in love me. So we ran away and we took my little sister, Meg, with us and we've been making a living here. I know….weird-ass story."

"And absolutely preposterous! Why would I ever run away with _you?_" Alice sneered, crossing her arms. Meg just sighed in defeat. Germany felt sorry for the girl; she probably is overwhelmed with the amount of bickering that both Alice and America have been engaged in.

America shuddered. "I don't know how I could even _date _you. You're exactly like…Arthur! Eiwww!"

"I'm sure that this Arthur is a very dignified gentleman…"

"He's you in male form. I thought that was bad enough."

"Why you insolent little…"

"And stop attempting to make scones. The shit you gave me this morning made me want to puke."

"Arrggghhh!" Alice screamed in frustration.

"Guys…please stop…" pleaded Meg hopelessly.

Germany gritted his teeth, his eyebrow twitching. He was about to explode….

He felt like he was back in the conference room during their world meetings. It was exactly the same thing. England and America would always fight about nothing in particular. All this needs now is France and the immature bitch fight would begin.

"Hero my arse, you blithering twat!"

"Hahahaha, did you just say you like it up the ass?"

"E-Excuse me?"

"SHUT UP!" Germany yelled. He couldn't control himself. His limbs were shaking and he felt his face twitch. Everyone jumped at his voice as he continued to rant…

"You two are such children! Aren't you nations? We are in a critical situation here and we need everyone's cooperation to figure out what the hell is going on. We need to be somewhere and we are running out of time. We don't know where anybody is and we have to find a way to get out of this village without our asses being murdered! Have you ever considered that, you _dummkopfs? _Huh?"

He was breathing heavily, his chest heaving and his anger swirling through his body as he stared at the stunned nations.

"Ve, Ludwig…calm down," Daisy said in a frightened voice.

Alice closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Y-Yes, you are right. I'm sorry for letting myself go so far. I am a nation. I will try and get along with Alfred…to the best of my ability."

Germany sighed and said, "We'll explain everything we know later. But right now, we need to go to Rugaska. It's not too far from here. We'd like it if you would come with us. There can be no more delays. We need to get there before nightfall, otherwise the beings from the other side…"

Alfred's face turned pale. Germany assumed that he must know about it.

Alice straightened herself and dusted herself off. "Alright, we'll head out immediately. I just need to grab a few things…"

She trailed out of the room quickly.

There was an awkward silence.

America still looked a bit pissed off, but there was something else in his face…something that wasn't usually present on the young nation's face.

"Uhhh…America, you look sorta…" Prussia started.

America just shook his head and responded, "S-She's just so much like Arthur…I don't know if I can handle it. Why am I always stuck with him? Even if it's his female counterpart…it's still him. I-I'm just so tired of it…a-and…I don't even know where he is and…"

Germany was shocked. Was America actually…_worried _about England?

However, the young nation quickly shook his head and the bright smile returned. "Anyway, why are we going to this empire? What's so special about it?"

"Russia is the emperor. We're going to try and get his help," Spain answered. Germany was a bit shocked to hear him speak. He'd been awfully quiet ever since Katarina had saved him.

America grimaced. "That commie? Ugh. Oh well! I'll do whatever needs to be done. I am the hero after all!"

XXXX

"Ughhhh…how much further?" America complained, staggering onwards as if it were the hardest thing in the world.

The sun was starting to set and Germany was growing nervous. He didn't think it would take this long to reach Rugaska…

Spain was also looking a bit flustered. They were all walking at an extremely fast pace and even Germany had to admit that his feet were starting to ache. His stomach growled and he desperately wished that they had brought food.

"It shouldn't be long now…" Spain said, although panic coated his voice.

The sun was sinking lower and lower...Germany's heart started to beat.

"Ve…we're not going to make it in time," whimpered Daisy. Her eyes were wide with panic and her breathing was labored as she continued to walk. Her forehead was beading with sweat and her hair was falling out of her bun in messy locks.

"I'm so hungryyyy…" America whined.

"Dear Lord, shut up!" Alice snapped at him.

"B-But…OWWWWWW!"

Alice had grabbed him by the ear and was dragging him along with her while he protested and cursed at her.

"Hey! Burger bastard and scone bitch! We're all fucking suffering here and I swear, if I hear one more word from you two, I will sincerely…" Katarina started, sweat dripping down her face and her eyes shooting fire at both Alice and America.

"_Merda! _We're not going to make it…" Spain exclaimed in despair and panic.

Poor Meg was limping. She had the shortest legs and she had already taken a tumble down a huge hill. Her skin was covered in blood and bruises.

Prussia, who was a few feet away from her, looked at the girl with a strange expression on his face before grabbing her gently. He carried her on his back, both her thighs wrapping around his midsection. He gently grasped her legs to support her. She leaned her head against his shoulder and gave a tiny whimper that sounded something like, "K-Kumarie…where are you?"

"Shit, this is not good…" Katarina said, her voice thickening with fear.

They started to run, but it was pointless. Rugaska was nowhere to be seen and the last remnants of the sun had left. The sky was fading to a dark navy blue.

Immediately, the air grew cold. The wind started to howl and it hit their skin. Germany shivered as dread clawed at his stomach and crawled up his throat.

Something was very wrong…

Then it happened.

A vibrating wailing sound echoed though out the whole land. The sound waned slowly before starting up again in long drawn out intervals. It beat at Germany's ear drums and it made him feel nauseous.

"Shit…SHIT! NO!" Spain cried out.

It was the siren.

The siren that signified the invasion by the beings from the other side. The siren that told everyone they needed to be in their houses.

And here they were, in the middle of an open field with no shelter in sight.

Germany felt it before he saw it. The air started to grow bitter and putrid. The temperature seemed to drop another twenty degrees and the sky was darkening at a speed that was way too unnatural…

"RUN!" Prussia yelled.

Germany immediately grabbed hold of Daisy's arm and took off. All of them started to run aimlessly…the wind howled and beat against their faces. Their heads were pounding and their stomachs were turning unpleasantly.

They heard it.

The whispers…growing louder and louder…the cutting shrieks and chants…chants that didn't make sense. The earth seemed to hiss as the grass around them started to wither away and become nothing but black ash…

Germany couldn't go on. He couldn't breathe anymore. The oxygen seemed to be sucked from the air. He stopped and fell to his knees. His vision was blurring as the disconnected voices grew louder and louder around him.

He came to realize that the other nations had also stopped.

"W-What's happening?" America panted.

Another loud shriek erupted from behind them. It was closer.

All of them spun around to see the most horrifying sight they had ever seen.

A mass of figures were approaching them. All of them wearing black cloaks that seemed to blend in with the night. Their faces were hidden by shadow and they moved in this strange fluid way that sent chills down Germany's spine.

But the most disturbing thing of all were the two figures leading the massive army.

They were both clad in white robes…priestly robes that flowed eerily as they moved forward.

"No fucking way," Prussia deadpanned, his eyes widening.

"I-Impossible," choked Spain.

"Holy shit," America cried out.

With a sickening realization, Germany understood.

As they drew closer, it was unmistakable.

Leading this army were both Feliciano and Lovino Vargas, their faces cold and ruthless as they got closer with each step they took.


	5. Italian Sainthood

"N-Nein…" Germany choked numbly as he stared at the two Italian brothers. His throat was painfully dry and his chest was constricting. He couldn't comprehend this scene before him…it didn't make any sense, and yet it did.

The two brothers came closer and closer in an eerily graceful fashion. They looked…dare he say it? Shockingly beautiful. Yet, there was something completely wrong about it. Both Feliciano and Lovino were clad in flowing white robes with a red sash inscripted with large golden crosses that draped over their shoulders and down to their feet. They both had large necklaces adorned with crucifixes and upon both their heads were medieval-looking white pauper hats.

And both their faces were blank and cold. Germany never thought that he would see his friend's face without the playful smile or the twinkle in his eye. Even the moody Romano had that child-like innocence. But not right now. No. No joy. No happiness. No innocence. No smile. No emotion.

And they were getting closer. And with each step they took, the air grew colder. And they were leading a huge army. And yet, Germany couldn't get himself to move.

"West! WEST! We have to move! NOW!"

Germany felt his brother tug angrily on his arm, dragging him away. The blonde was numb and limp, but he finally came to his senses. He made sure he had a firm grasp on Daisy's hand when they started to run again.

The whispers were almost like screams. And Germany knew that it was no use. The army was gaining up on them. They would have to stop running soon and they would have to fight. Germany's insides froze with dread at the idea. He didn't know what they could do, but he had a feeling that both Feliciano and Lovino had gained some abilities…especially if they could lead an army like that.

Germany shook the remainders of shock and that biting feeling of betrayal from his body. He could worry about that later. He needed to put himself in emotionless military mode. He needed to make sure that he and the others survived.

"Holy shit! Side cramp!" Katarina screamed as she wheezed, and to Germany's horror, her movements were getting slower and slower.

"Ve! Katarina!" Daisy yelled, her face pure white with fear.

They were getting closer.

"D-DAMN IT! Fucking shit, I'm sorry!" Katarina screamed out in frustration. "I h-hate running!"

Spain had a tender look on his face as he grabbed her gently by the arm and hoisted her up to her feet.

"You can get on my back, '_Tarina!" _He said.

"What? N-No…I'll just slow you down…" Katarina huffed with a bewildered expression on her face.

"Dude! Just get on his back already!" America cried out in exasperation. Alice was clutching his arm as she huffed and puffed in exhaustion.

Prussia just shook his head with a grim smile on his face. "There's no use running now. They're right behind us"

Germany realized that his brother was right. There was no use in running. The army of cloaked figures surrounded them, closing in on any possible escape route. They were swarming like bees, enveloping everything. And only a few feet from them, staring straight at them with that same expression were both Feliciano and Lovino.

Everything was frozen. Prussia carefully placed Meg back on the ground. She stood close to him. Katarina was clutching Spain's arm, her face coated in shock, frustration, and fear; Spain was staring at Lovino with wide green eyes. America stood in front of Alice, the two of them both shaken.

Germany didn't know what to think. He didn't know what was going to happen next. The air was thick and cold and it was hard to breathe and…and…everything was just so off kilter…

He gave Daisy's hand a small squeeze and looked down at her. She stared back up at him with a determined expression on her face. He watched as she sneakily grabbed the hilt of her sword and slowly drew it. Feliciano and Lovino didn't react. They just stood there with that frightening serene expression on their face.

Germany gave a tiny nod and followed Daisy's example. He also withdrew his sword. He looked over at his brother and gave him a knowing expression. His lips turned up bitterly as he also put a hand to his sword. Meg looked absolutely frightened, her eyes widening as she realized what was going on, but she also subtly whipped out her dagger.

Spain already had a firm grasp on his huge axe and Katarina had her hand on the hilt of her sword. America and Alice exchanged glances as they both drew their weapons.

They were going to fight. They weren't ready. They didn't want to.

But they had to do what they had to do.

Germany ignored the painful ache in his heart as he looked into Feliciano's face. He gulped and breathed in. If he survived this, he'd let it out later.

Now…it was only a matter of who would make the first move.

No one was moving. Even the strange black figures were eerily still.

Spain shifted his arm. Germany bit the inside of his cheek, his eyes narrowing.

Then, the stillness was broken. But only slightly.

Germany further narrowed his eyes as both the Italian brothers raised their right hands in a creepy synchronization, their index and middle fingers sticking up in a saintly fashion. Their faces remained neutral, unblinking, un-phased.

Germany felt the sickening dread swell up within him once again. He knew something bad was going to happen…

The air around him started to swirl and whistle.

So he did the one thing he could think of.

"GET DOWN!" He yelled.

He yanked Daisy toward the ground and shielded both their heads with his arms. The others did the same.

BANG!

The earsplitting cannon-like sound reverberated throughout the whole field. The ground shook violently and a blinding light enveloped Germany's eye-sight. He lost his balance and fell forward from the tremor and he started coughing, realizing that there was debris coating the air.

_Shit! Shit! Shit! _

He was on panic mode. His head ached from the fall and he felt a sticky substance drip from his head. He scrambled to his feet and with horror, he realized that Daisy was still on the ground, a deep gash traveling from her cheek, slicing down her jaw line, and neck, and then down to her shoulder.

He prayed that the others were okay, as he couldn't see through the debris, and he scooped Daisy up in his arms and made a run for it.

And as he ran, he heard more explosions. Explosion after explosion as the lights shot and further mutilated the earth, the soil and dust ripping from the ground and coating the air with debris, making it even harder for Germany to breathe as he ran for his life.

Thankfully, Daisy was rather light and easy to carry, but Germany's whole body was sore and exhausted, making it harder for him to run. He also noticed with a sickening realization that his arms sported thick brutal gashes that were gushing blood.

How was that possible…he only just fell…

And…and they were starting to hurt like hell…

Then he also noticed that Daisy was covered in blood as well as more and more gashes started to physically tear through her skin. The scarlet stained her clothes and Germany felt like he was going to be sick.

They were doing this.

They were hurting them. Trying to kill them.

What the FUCK is going on?

Out of the corner of his eye, Germany saw both Spain and Katarina running as well. He would've been relieved if it weren't for the fact that the two were also covered in blood, their faces twisted in pain.

Germany didn't know if he could run anymore…but the explosions kept coming.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

He could feel them at his heels.

To make things worse, the black cloaked figures started to loom ominously through the thick debris, flying like demented vultures, swooping in on them greedily. They emitted a high screeching sound.

Germany couldn't help but yell at the sound. It throttled his ear drums and hammered away greedily at his head. He wanted to withdraw his sword to offer some sort of resistance, but he couldn't risk dropping Daisy.

His chest was on fire and his eyes were stinging from the mixture of sweat and blood that was dripping into his eyes.

His legs started to falter…his head was spinning…the pain was unbearable…he could no longer see properly…could no longer breathe…

Was this what it felt like to give up? To die?

Germany had never really thought about death. He was a nation after all. It's very hard for nations to die.

But he never thought that his death would occur in a separate world at the hands of Feliciano and Lovino Vargas.

Germany's face met the ground before he could process another thought. He was distinctly aware that he was on top of an injured Daisy and that he should probably move, but he couldn't. What did it matter anyway? He was going to die…

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The slicing pain inflicted his skin over and over again and he felt the blood pour endlessly.

With a sickening realization, Germany understood what was happening.

He was being cut open alive. Sliced into little pieces.

And so was everyone else.

"_N-Nein!" _

Germany heard his brother's shaking voice right above him. He managed to open his eyes slightly and turn his head to see the scene before him.

The banging noises had ceased, leaving only the sickening screeches of the cloaked figures and the settling debris. The blonde nation saw his brother standing in front of him, guarding his body. Even from the back, Germany could see that his brother was just as injured as he was. The blood stained his silvery white hair and dripped down his neck and back. Prussia's violently slashed hands held firmly onto his sword.

Germany wanted nothing more than to close his eyes and just…slip away...he wanted to help his brother…but it was no use…

Everything faded to black.

Meanwhile, Prussia stood there defiantly, staring at the two Vargas brothers with disgust.

He couldn't believe this. Yes, he was shocked to find that he was in a parallel world, but he was NOT expecting this. Dammit, he knew that West and Spain would have a major un-awesome bitch fit about this later.

If there was a later…

No. Absolutely not. He was Gilbert Beilschmidt. The awesome Prussia. And he refused to die at the hands of some Italians dressed in priest robes.

Yet, he felt his consciousness slipping. He was losing too much blood…and was West…was he…even alive?

Both Feliciano and Lovino just stood there, their robes fluttering faintly in the wind. It frightened Prussia to see them look so holy, so saintly, so…so…beautiful. But it was a cold beauty. A stern religious beauty. And it was all wrong.

He swung his sword threateningly and attempted to smile at them..though the action itself caused pain to shoot through his body. He managed to choke out, "S-So you b-both are finally strong, huh? F-Finally get some p-power, right? All g-grown up I-I see…don't need p-precious West or A-Antonio to protect you g-guys anymore."

Prussia didn't know what he was saying. He kept rambling on incoherently, feeling himself slip away. His vision was blurring, yet he could still make out the two brothers standing there, unmoving, unfeeling.

"G-Gil…" choked a quiet voice from behind him. He spun around clumsily to see Meg standing there, her eyes filled with tears as the blood dripped down her face. Her limbs were covered in nasty gashes and her hand was shaking as she clutched the dagger.

He felt his insides swell at the sight of the small girl, yet a gripping fury and hopelessness also washed over him.

Prussia didn't understand it…he had never really talked to the male Canada before. He always tended to disappear randomly. He didn't even remember his name…was it Marty or something? And he had just met this girl a few hours ago.

Yet, he had this instant urge to be her protector. To defend her. It was foreign to him, to actually look at someone in pain and feel as if his heart had been wrenched from his chest.

"S-Stand b-back…" he choked. His knees were starting to buckle.

The sound of the relentless screeching from the cloaked figures was eating away at him; his sanity was slipping away…

West and Daisy were lying in a pool of blood behind him; he wasn't sure if they were alive or not. He had no clue where Spain, Katarina, America, or Alice were. They had to be somewhere nearby…alive or dead.

Right now, it was just him and Meg left standing. Prussia and Canada.

Prussia couldn't help but laugh slightly to himself at that. Of course, the two nations left standing are the insignificant ones. In fact, Prussia knew that he wasn't even a nation anymore. So maybe, if he died…it wouldn't really matter…

But that's not fair to Meg. She doesn't deserve to die.

He glared at both Feliciano and Lovino again. He put as much venom into the glare as he could. He hated them so much right now. He hated them with every fiber of his being.

"Y-you want to fight? Fine. G-Go a-ahead," Prussia growled without thinking.

He raised his sword, knowing that this was hopeless. He didn't even know what he was trying to accomplish here. A quick ending?

Prussia watched as both the Italy brothers grasped each other's hands in one smooth and strangely delicate movement. Their facial expressions remained unchanging.

A strange aura of light illuminated around the two of them, further enhancing their saintly look. There was another earsplitting explosion and Prussia braced himself for the worst. He squeezed his eyes shut, but nothing came…

Nothing except for the thick splatter of blood that splashed onto his face. His eyes flew open and the sight before him made him want to throw up.

Meg was suspended in the air, thick black vines impaling her arms, her legs, and her stomach, straight through the other side of her body. Her long blonde hair was waving gently in the bitter smelling breeze and the strange shadows swirled around her silhouette like vicious wraiths. Yet, Prussia could clearly see that the girl was still breathing; her breaths were ragged and faded.

She was going to die at any second. Prussia had failed her. Even if he had only met her a few hours ago, he felt an overwhelming sense of grief and anger wash over him.

Where had she come from? She was behind him…

Had she throw herself in front of him at the last second? Had she taken the hit that was meant for him?

The vines surrounded her like a mutilated dome…tall and towering…almost sickeningly beautiful as they held Meg there, her posture similar to that of a crucifixion, with her arms outstretched like broken wings…the vines protruding out of her back, through her stomach, limbs…the blood pouring like a waterfall from her small suspended body…

Both Feliciano and Lovino stood there, their faces looking as blank and eerily innocent as ever.

A small smile crept its way onto Feliciano's face.

The pasta loving bastard was _smiling. _

They were going to die.

Freaking hell…

There was nothing he could do. Fighting was laughable. Calling for help was ridiculous…

"B-Bruder…"

Prussia spun around to see that his brother's eyes were partly open. Germany's head was on top of Daisy's blood stained stomach, his arms and legs bent at odd angles. His nausea further increased as he saw how dead Germany looked, with his pasty skin and the continually streaming blood…

Yet, Germany was awake…and holding on to the last strands of life.

"W-west, go b-back to sleep," Prussia choked out, feeling the tears sting his eyes. Strange…he never really found a reason to cry before…

"T-There's n-nothing more t-to see here. I-It's over," Prussia found himself sobbing weakly. He loosened his grip on his sword. It fell at his feet and he felt himself slipping away.

"B-Bruder…" Germany started again, his voice a bit stronger this time. "I-I feel…"

Prussia fell to his knees and blacked out…but not before seeing another burst of blinding white light…

And then the air became warm.


	6. Aftershock

Alice blinked her eyes. Everything was fuzzy at first, but eventually, things came into focus. A domed stone ceiling loomed above her. She was on something incredibly warm and soft. She breathed in and fought the temptation to close her eyes again. Something was tugging at her brain, but she couldn't remember what it was that was bothering her. Did something happen to her? Why was she here? And why did she not really care right now?

Just as her eyes fluttered gently to a close, it all came crashing down on her again. The alternate universe, the counterparts, the road to Rugaska, those awful evil cloaked figures and their two priestly leaders…

Alice shot up, heaving. Her chest ached and her head started to pound.

_What the bloody hell happened?_

She remembered running for her life, clutching on to the American git's hand. She remembered feeling the endless pain as slash after slash wracked her body…the blood pouring constantly. She remembered the feeling of failure, failure to protect herself and Alfred. That same feeling of regret and hopelessness she'd only felt when Emily F. Jones had held a gun to her head at Yorktown.

She remembered falling to the ground, taking Alfred with her. She remembered looking into his face, cupping his cheek and apologizing over and over again before blacking out.

Alice grimaced and ran a hand through her messy hair. She yanked at a few tangles, letting her heart beat settle down. But just as she was starting to get comfortable again, Alice immediately started to wonder what had happened to the others.

Did they survive? Was she the only one?

What the fuck had happened?

Looking at it logically, there was no possible way that they could've lived through that. But Alice was alive, wasn't she? Maybe the others had made it as well…

The image of the two men in robes filled her mind again and she shivered. That cold, ruthless, cruelly innocent look on their faces, the way they moved in complete synchronization…

She had seen the look on both Ludwig and Antonio's faces when they saw them. It was obvious that the two men were Daisy's and Katarina's counterparts. But what Alice didn't understand is why the hell they ended up like this. Were there other fellow nations who had turned out just as bad as they had as well? What if…what if Emily had…

No. No no no no. Alice shook her head at herself. Emily did NOT turn evil. She couldn't.

As for the matter at hand…where the hell was she?

Emily allowed herself to look around once more. She was in a large circular room with a large open window, which let the gentle breeze to swirl into the room, while displaying a rather breathtaking view of the windows.

The room itself was grand, but bare. Stone floor, stone walls, stone ceiling…

But then she noticed that there was another bed across the room, propped against the wall at the far left of the window. She gulped when she saw that a still Alfred lying on the bed, his head propped gently against the pillows.

Alice quietly set her feet to the cold stone ground and stood up. She was wearing a long white nightgown and she frowned at the thought of someone actually changing her. But she quickly pushed the thought aside. She made her way across the room to where Alfred lay and once she reached his bedside, she had to admit that he took her breath away.

He looked so peaceful and innocent, his face white and his eyes gently closed. The sun rays cast upon his face, creating angled shadows that defined his face and brought out the gold in his hair. However, on a closer look, she saw that ribbons of pink scars laced every inch of his skin. There were some on his face as well, but they weren't as defiant.

Alice felt strangely hollow inside, seeing this man like this. She barely knew Alfred, yet she felt some sort of strange bond with him. Maybe it was the fact that he was Emily's counterpart. She didn't really understand how these counterparts worked, but she sensed something…some sort of intangible attachment...almost like intertwined spirits The counterparts were two completely different people with their own distinct features, but they shared…the same soul?

Alice knew that she could only sense this due to her ability to see beyond what the normal eye could determine. But she didn't feel inclined to share this. Everything was already confusing.

She breathed out slightly and started to speak softly.

"I know I don't know you very well…"

She felt like a fool, talking to a sleeping man…a man she barely knew.

"But…I feel that you and I need to stick together. I know I wasn't the one who raised you, and I could never replace your England. But..."

Alice took a deep breath and gently placed her hand on Alfred's cheek.

"I'm still England and you're still America. And as England, I will do everything in my power to protect America."

Alice closed her eyes for a second before continuing.

"I guess…for now, that means I'll protect you, Alfred. And next time, I won't fail."

She didn't understand why she felt the need to say these things. He wasn't dead. He didn't look like he was going to die soon. Well…he was a bit pale, but his breathing was fairly steady and his cheek was warm. But, the sight of Alfred lying there on that bed, with the heavenly glow of the sun cascading on his face, Alice felt her heart lurch.

The very thought of losing America made her sick.

Alice had a special love for America in her heart.

And Alfred is America. Just as much as her Emily is America.

Alice closed her eyes and was about to withdraw her hand from his cheek, but suddenly, Alfred's hand reached up and grasped her hand gently, keeping it on his cheek.

Alice jumped in shock and gave a small squeak. She watched in slight amazement as Alfred opened his eyes, the bright cerulean color staring up at her. She gulped.

Oh dear Lord…

A bright smile broke out on his face. His smile was so dazzling. It was one of those smiles that lit up a whole room.

"Did you really mean that?" he asked.

"I-w-what?" Alice choked out, feeling her face heat up.

Alfred laughed as he sat up, still clutching her hand. Alice ignored the fact that he looked absolutely charming with his hair all messy like that.

He looked at her with a smug expression and taunted, "I always knew that England had a thing for me!"

Alice snatched her hand away from Alfred's and glared at the American with as much venom as she could muster, yet it was rather difficult due to the violent flush in her face and the rapid beating of her heart.

"You're talking nonsense! Why would I ever have like some dunderheaded git like you?" she snapped, determinedly avoiding Alfred's eyes. She glanced back at him to see that he cocked his head slightly in a way that was NOT adorable in the least.

A small smile played on his lips. "Now that's the England I know and love."

"Well…I may be England, but I'm not YOUR England. Just like you're not MY America," Alice huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

Alfred's smile faded slightly as a serious expression crossed his face. He shook his head slightly and replied, "I don't think it really matters that you're not Arthur. I know this sounds freaking weird and creepy…but I sort of feel like…like I…um...know you? I don't know. I thought it was because you're really similar to him, but now I'm not so sure."

Alice understood what he meant. Maybe…maybe it was an emotional connection between nations in general, disregarding the actual person? England and America had a long history together. It didn't matter if it was Alice Kirkland and Emily F. Jones, or Arthur Kirkland and Alfred F. Jones. They're all attached to each other in some way.

But Alice kept her thoughts to herself. She didn't have enough evidence to back this claim up. It was just a sort of strange feeling, like a sixth sense.

Alice decided to ignore the statement as she allowed herself to look at Alfred fully in the face. She felt her lips quirk up unconsciously. He really was like a little boy. He had that childlike innocence etched all over his face. Yet, at the same time, she knew that he was a fully grown man.

An awkward silence passed between them. Alice nervously scratched her arm, feeling a strange blush coating her skin.

This was strange…

It's been such a long time since she felt these emotions toward a man.

And it was ridiculous as well! Not only did she not know Alfred F. Jones very well, but he was America! It's as if Alice were creeping on Emily! It's just…strange!

"Are you okay?"

His voice shocked her a bit. She never knew that his voice could be so quiet…and sincere sounding. Alice glanced at him quickly, catching sight of his bright cerulean eyes.

Of course that's the first thing she sees…

She shook her head dismissively and answered in a huffy voice, "I'm fine. Absolutely swell. But that's not what we should be worrying about…"

Alfred nodded as his eyes narrowed. "Yeah, you're right. Where the fucking hell are we?"

Alice bit her lip and shrugged, suddenly feeling a thick sensation of dread mixed with panic coat her stomach. Where was she? Where were the others? Were the others even alive? Oh God…what if they were dead?

She couldn't bear the thought of losing Meg, even if Alice had a hard time remembering her sometimes. And she never liked Daisy or Katarina much, but the thought of them dying also made her stomach twist unpleasantly.

"Oh God…Oh God, oh God, oh God…Shit!" Alice started to rant, shaking her head violently as the panic started to overtake her. She didn't know why the awful situation was just settling in now.

Everything was just too overwhelming. This bloody alternative universe, the opposite gender counterparts, this medieval-like society, those damn awful creatures and those two evil Italian priest-like men, the bloodshed, the pain…

This was far beyond rational thought. Alice prided herself on being a level-headed and rational person. Yes, even though she could see ghosts, sense paranormal activity, and uses black magic from time to time (only for beneficial purposes!), she was the logical one. She always has been.

"OH BLOODY HELL! WHAT IF THEY'RE ALL DEAD?" Alice burst out, causing Alfred to jump slightly.

"Hey, dude! Calm down!"

"STOP BUTCHERING THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, YOU BLOODY TOSSER! AND DON'T YOU DARE CALL ME DUDE, OR TELL ME TO CALM DOWN! I DON'T KNOW WHERE WE ARE AND…"

Alice felt a large hand cover her mouth and she furiously squirmed as Alfred locked his other arm under her chin. Damn him! Damn him for being so strong and tall! Alice always knew that a male America was bad news! Emily was bad enough, but now she was left to deal with her immature, tall, and very attractive male counterpart…

"Look Iggy, if you keep yelling, you might piss off some potential bad guys. Well…then again…I am the hero, and the hero's supposed to fight against bad guys…"

Alice rolled her eyes and resisted the urge to sink her teeth into Alfred's hand. And how dare he call her Iggy! She hated that nickname! When Emily was a child, she'd call Alice that. After the revolution, she continued to use the name…and it made Alice strangely upset.

There was a large earsplitting creak, and both Alice and Alfred froze before turning their heads toward the huge door, which was opening slowly. A small, meek looking girl with light mousy brown hair, big wide eyes, and a shy, hesitant smile stood in the doorway.

Alfred frowned at the girl, thinking that she reminded him of someone, while Alice's eyes widened.

"Oh! Forgive me for intruding…b-but…at least you two are awake!" she said in a small voice. She looked slightly embarrassed, her cheeks glowing pink.

"E-Elena?" Alice choked out, staring in bewilderment at the Lithuanian nation. She didn't know Elena very well; the two had very few real conversations. After all, the girl was always trailing meekly behind Anya, even after her break from the Soviet Union.

"Who?" Alfred asked in an oh-so intelligent voice. Alice managed to squirm out of his grasp.

She kept her eyes on Elena, who was standing there, her cheeks red.

"Elena! I-I'm so glad you're here! Do you know what's going on? What happened? What…"

Then it hit her.

Elena was wearing a modest ragged dress tied around in the middle. Servant's clothing.

If Elena was here, then that must mean her sisters are here as well. And if her sisters are here…then…then…

They were in Rugaska.

Alice didn't know if she should feel relieved, or horrified.

"Hey, Alice! Alice! Who is that?" Alfred continued to ask in a loud and gullible voice. Alice's eye twitched in irritation. Goodness! Can't the burger-loving twat shut his damn mouth for one moment?

"Um…Master Ivan wanted to see you all when you woke up, but he said that you were allowed to meet with each other first…" Elena said, looking down at her feet.

"Wait- oh. OOOOHHHHH!" Alfred drawled, as realization flashed across his face. Alice resisted the urge to smack her hand to her forehead in frustration. Dear God, he's worse than Emily. Only the Lord knows what went wrong with that God-forsaken girl.

"Elena, do you…you do know what's going on, right?" she pressed, ignoring Alfred's outpouring stupidity.

The Lithuanian nation continued to stare blankly for a moment, but then her shoulders sagged and she sighed. "Look, Alice…I'm just as clueless about this as you are. But I'm just following his orders, alright? He's…He's scarier than Anya…"

A chill ran up Alice's spine at the thought of Anya's counterpart. Anya was frightening enough, but she could only imagine what this Ivan was like…

Alice closed her mouth and gave a curt nod. "Very well. Take us to see the others."

Elena nodded and responded, "They're all in the guest room down the hall. Just follow me."

The Lithuanian nation turned on her heel and walked off. Alice took a deep breath, and automatically grabbed Alfred's hand. She blushed at her impulsive action, but he didn't seem to complain. The two followed Elena down the long hallway.

Her breath was taken away by the sheer size of just the hallway. All stone, towering and stretching to immense proportions, big open windows that display the beautiful landscape…yet all silent. So vast and eerily silent.

"_Pssstt! Hey, PSSSTTTT!"_ Alfred's annoyingly (not quiet) whisper started to give Alice a headache.

"_What?"_ she hissed back.

"_Is that Lithuania?" _he asked.

"_No, that's fucking France, you ignorant wanker! Who else could it be?" _

"_Does this mean that we're in Rugaska?" _

"_I believe so…" _

Elena stopped in front of a huge wooden door and opened it slowly. It creaked more than the other door.

She turned back around to Alfred and Alice, a timid, yet eerily trained smile present on her face. "I'll be waiting outside."

Elena stepped aside, the two walked in through the door.

The sight before them caused Alice's stomach to drop unpleasantly. Ludwig sat in the corner of the room, curled up in a ball as he wrapped his arms around his knees, a dark foreboding shadow splayed across his face. Daisy crouched next to him, her hand rubbing gentle circles on his back. Both looked pale and rather ill, their skin covered in fading, but unpleasant pink scars. Antonio was standing at the wide open window, a harsh look on his face, the usual carefree smile gone as he gazed at the outside scenery, a haunted look on his face. Katarina stood a few feet away from him, staring at her feet with a frustrated look on her face. The two were also covered in scars.

Gilbert was crouched beside the white bed, his eyes set intently on a small and unconscious figure on the bed. Alice felt her breath hitch at the sight of Meg. She looked almost…dead.

Her skin looked more transparent than ever, but the violent scars on her face were prominent. Her hair was splayed over her pillow and her eyes looked like they would never open…

Alice felt her throat close up.

Meg…

What happened?

She gently untangled her hand from Alfred's and held her breath as she made her way toward Meg. She noted that Gilbert's fists were full of white sheets, his face pale and dangerous. Despair washed over her. This couldn't be good news…

"W-What…" Alice choked out.

Gilbert sprang to his feet, his red eyes searing furiously. He spat out, "Pathetic."

"I beg your pardon?"

"_Pathetic. _I'm pathetic. No wonder why I failed as a nation. I couldn't help her…I saw it all happen…and I couldn't do anything…I couldn't…"

He trailed off, a defeated look on his face. Alice's heart felt like it was being twisted in two.

That was explanation enough.

"I-Is she…"

"Barely," Gilbert hissed, a pure look of disgust on his face. "We don't know if she'll wake up. We can't do anything. The damn bastards told us to _wait." _

Alice couldn't take it. She felt the tears well up in her eyes and spill down her cheeks. Her throat was closing up and her chest was constricting. She couldn't look at Meg, but she couldn't take her eyes off of her.

Her scars were the worst. In fact…they looked like they were still bleeding…

"M-Meg…" Alice choked, stumbling forward blindly.

She had lost all strength in her legs. Her limbs felt numb as the overwhelming grief and hysteria overtook her. But before she could fall to the ground, she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her torso, preventing her from meeting the ground. She closed her eyes, gritted her teeth, and let the tears fall. But she wouldn't let the sobs escape her throat. No. She was bigger than that.

Alfred clutched on to the small girl, feeling overwhelmed himself. His throat was dry and he felt that if he tried to speak, no words would come out. He held onto Alice gently; she was so small that he was afraid that he'd break her. It was a strange feeling for Alfred. He always found himself holding Arthur during times of distress, but he wasn't afraid to be rough with him. After all, he was an older great nation, a nation who had raised Alfred.

But even though Alice was England as well, and went through the exact same things that Arthur did, Alfred still saw the girl as something to handle with great care. Even though her words were harsh, her touch was gentle.

It was…odd.

His thoughts were interrupted as Ludwig growled from the corner, his voice gritty and full of bitterness, "I can't believe this. I just can't."

The German's face was contorted…disturbed…devastated…

"Ludwig…" Daisy started cautiously.

But the German nation sprang up from the ground, causing Daisy to stumble backwards. He turned to face the wall, and with a twisted expression on his face, he started to punch the stone wall with as much strength as he could muster.

"Ludwig, stop!" Daisy pleaded.

"_Fucking…shit…absolute…BULLSHIT!" _

"West…" Gilbert snapped through gritted teeth.

But he kept punching the wall furiously.

"It just HAS to be him! I don't understand! Why him? WHY?" Ludwig screamed, his voice coated with hysteria. His blonde hair fell into his face.

"Ve, stop! Your hand is bleeding!"

But Germany threw his fist back and pounded the wall again. He let out a cry of pain as a crack resounded around the room.

So he used his other hand.

"I just…I can't believe that…he'd…hurt us…never…"

Germany slumped to the ground again everyone was shocked to see the tears spill from his eyes.

"Why does it have to be Feliciano? What did he ever do? WHY?" he sobbed.

Both of his hands were bleeding profusely as he covered his face. His shoulder shook. Daisy had tears spilling from her eyes as well.

"Ludwig…" she whispered again.

Antonio spun around and glared at her.

"_Dios Mio! _Leave him the fuck alone! He has every right to lose it right now, so just back off!" he snapped, his green eyes flashing dangerously, his fists clenched.

Daisy stared at him, her anguished expression switching to one of cold anger at his outburst.

Katarina also glared at Antonio. "Shut the fuck up, tomato bastard! Don't talk to my sister like that!"

Antonio then turned to face Katarina, a frighteningly dark expression on his face.

"DON'T YOU DARE CALL ME THAT!"

Katarina's mouth dropped open as she backed up a few steps.

Antonio continued to yell. With each word, he took a large step toward Katarina, who continued to back up, her face contorted in shocked fury.

"ONLY LOVI HAS THE RIGHT TO CALL ME THAT! YOU'RE NOT LOVI! YOU CAN NEVER REPLACE HIM…YOU…YOU…"

The tears started to pool in his green eyes as well. He bit his lip as his expression crumpled dramatically.

"Lovino…" he whispered hoarsely. "W-Why?"

He turned back toward the window, and avoided everyone's gaze, his shoulders shaking.

Katarina stood there, stunned. Daisy left Ludwig's side to scamper over to her sister. She put her arm around Katarina's shoulder. The older Italian cringed slightly at the contact, but she didn't deflect it. Instead, she just looked down at her feet, biting her quivering lip.

Everything was silent for a few minutes. Alfred still kept his hold on Alice, whose shaking had subsided. Gilbert was staring down at the unconscious Meg. Ludwig was still shaking ball on the floor, his ravaged hands soaked in scarlet.

Everything was just a disconnected mess. The atmosphere in the room was heavy with anger, with frustration, with confusion, with death…

With the foreboding sense that there was still worse to come.

Finally, after a little while, the door creaked open again, and Elena re entered, standing timidly at the doorway.

"Um…Master Ivan would really like to see you, now…if you're ready, that is."

No one was really ready at all. But Katarina shrugged her sister's arm off roughly, and shot a nasty look at Antonio.

"Fine. Let's get this shit over with," she spat before walking toward the doorway. Daisy glanced once more at Ludwig before trailing after her sister, a determined expression on her face.

Alice straightened herself and quickly wiped the tears away from her face. She glanced once more at Meg and her stomach tightened. Gilbert closed his eyes, turned and made his way toward the door way as well. Eventually, Antonio and Ludwig followed suit, both avoiding everyone's eyes. Neither bothered to wipe away the tears that spilled down their cheeks.

Alfred watched as Alice made her way over to Meg. The English nation looked down into the face of the Canadian.

What would happen if she died? What would happen to the nation?

What would Emily do?

Even though Francoise was the one who took care of her for a long time as a child, Alice had watched the girl grow up as well, alongside Emily. Meg was like her second daughter. She remembered watching Meg and Emily frolic around the big stretches of meadow, the lush trees and grand mountains looming in the distance, the air fresh – a sign of the new world.

She remembered the way the sun reflected off of their laughing faces…both oblivious to the fact that they would grow up to become nations, nations with great responsibilities on their shoulders…

"I'm sorry, Meg…" Alice whispered in a strained voice before turning around and going back to Alfred. The American nation felt his heart break at the sight of the English girl. He took her hand and gently led them toward the door.

As Alice passed Elena, Elena gave a reassuring smile and whispered, "She'll be fine. I'll make sure of it."

For some reason, the words seemed to comfort Alice more than anything.


	7. The Boss and the Henchman

It was frightening. Truly frightening. And Katarina didn't like it. She prided herself on her bravery, her toughness, her persistence to fight. But the truth is, she's easily scared. She's scared of thunderstorms, she's scared of spiders, she's scared of turtle infestations, and she scared of losing people that mean a lot to her. So for her, this whole dilemma was like being in hell. She was so relieved to have her sister here with her, but her heart ached for her boss. For her Isabel Carriedo.

After seeing how her own counterpart turned out, she felt absolutely sick thinking about Isabel. And then there was Isabel's counterpart. Antonio Fernandez Carriedo. Katarina didn't know how to feel about this whole thing. At first she detested him, ABSOLUTELY detested him for taking her place, for acting so much like her. Yet, he wasn't her. It wasn't the same. But at the same time, she felt herself increasingly attached to him. Like he was a part of her. If something were to happen to him, she knew that it would hurt like hell. She would cry. Cry just as much as she would if Isabel had gotten hurt.

And then there was something else. She felt…differently for Antonio. Isabel was like Katarina's mother. A rather annoying and oblivious mother, but a nurturing and caring one. Antonio…well…he was…he was…what was he like? He wasn't similar to a parental figure. Maybe authority figure, but not parental. Not by a long shot.

He was more like a doting lover. After all, in this universe, she is supposed to be married to him. The thought mortified Katarina to no end at first, but now, she didn't mind the idea. In fact, she sort of liked it. She found herself always wanting to be by his side, to always protect him when she could…

Of course, she'd never let him know that she felt this way. He was a tomato bastard after all. But something about that relaxed and crooked smile, those glittering green eyes, that tousled hair, the way he'd look at her with adoration…

Maybe it was the fact that he was male. Katarina, unlike her sister, didn't have much experience with males. Yes, she'd been with a few here and there, but boys had never taken a center stage in her life.

But then there was the other part. This Lovino Vargas. This Italy Romano. Her male counterpart. Katarina knew that she could never replace him in Antonio's eyes. And as selfish as it sounded, it hurt. She wasn't stupid. After all, she knew that Antonio could never replace Isabel, but it still hurt, nonetheless. What hurt even more was seeing the horror and pain on the bastard's face when he saw what Lovino had become. This violent demon-like creature. He and his brother.

And then he had exploded on her. He told her outright what she knew all along. That she could never replace "his Lovi." Yes, she'd probably shun him for saying that, give him the cold shoulder, curse him out as an act of defense, but Katarina understood that Antonio wasn't the bad person here. She knew that if she had seen her Isabel in that state, with cold cruelty in her eyes, doing everything and anything just to kill, she would be driven to grief-stricken insanity.

With these thoughts in her mind, Katarina marched ahead with her sister at her side. She stole a glance at Daisy, taking in her younger sister's appearance. Her skin was paler than Katarina's, her brows were less defined, her eyes shined with a gentleness that Katarina lacked, her curly hair had more of a honey tint than hers did, and her long flyaway curl was located on the opposite side of her head. Katarina was shocked by the overwhelming sense of relief that shot through her. She was so glad that her sister was at her side. No matter how many times they've fought, quarreled, and cried, Katarina knew that she could never live without Daisy Vargas.

The others were behind them. She could hear their echoing footsteps. But she didn't look back. She didn't want to risk seeing the tormented face of Antonio. Elena Laurinaitis suddenly walked in front of both Daisy and Katarina, stopping at a huge wooden door, decorated with a plethora of intricate carvings.

Katarina gulped. She could already feel the ice. Anya Braginski terrified her. So did her younger brother Nikolai. Apparently, Anya has been replaced by her male counterpart, Ivan Braginski. And according to the male nations she was currently with, he was very scary. Very very very scary.

Katarina saw that Elena turned paler as she turned to the door and knocked on it three times. Everything was silent for about a minute, before the doors creaked open, ever so slowly, revealing a huge stone throne room, lined with lit torches. Katarina watched as Elena stepped aside and ushered them in, her eyes wide with fear.

Oh boy. This oughta be good.

They all stepped inside the room. The torch light flickered dangerously and reflected off the floor and ceiling in a strange swirling manner. Shadows seemed to cascade in every corner, twirling up and down the lengths of the huge room.

And then of course, in the center was a huge throne. And there sat a man with platinum blonde hair, icy pale skin, large flashing violet eyes, and an eerily innocent smile placed on his face. He was wearing a thick fur-like robe that cascaded all the way down his body, and pooled in huge piles at his feet. Katarina's breath hitched. That was definitely Ivan Braginski. No doubt about it. Just looking at him made her feel absolutely cold. She realized that the tension in the room had intensified. Everything seemed darker, more sinister, just…colder.

And Katarina realized that he wasn't alone. Standing on one side of his throne was…oh shit. It was Nikolai. Anya's crazy younger, and twisted brother. His glinting eyes flashed darkly from beneath his icy bangs. On the other side stood Anya's older brother, Dmitri. He was the least sinister looking of the three, with his large innocent eyes and nervous expression. Katarina had also noticed that Elena had slowly backed off to the very corner of the room, where she stood with her two sisters, all three of them dressed in similar servant's clothing, all three of them trembling in fear.

No one spoke for a moment. No one dared to. Katarina found herself wishing that she could stand next to Antonio and let him grip her hand like he had been doing for every minute of the short amount of time they knew each other.

Finally, Ivan Braginski spoke. His voice sounded friendly, but it was laced with a strange poison. A poison that sent a chill up Katarin'a spine.

"Ahh, so my friends have all slept well, da?"

No one spoke for a second, but then Alfred came forward, an angry expression on his face. "We were dying. And Meg still is dying! How can you be so freaking light hearted about this shit…"

Everyone held their breath. Of course Alfred would be the one to speak up against his former Cold War enemy.

"Let's not be to angry now," Ivan smiled. "After all, if it weren't for me, you would still be out on the field. And I assure you that you would not be alive."

His voice made Katarina cringe. She could already tell that this man was scarier than Anya. He's the male embodiment of Russia. She felt her throat close up as she backed up a few steps, grabbing on to Daisy's sleeve to pull her with her. Ivan's eyes fell on Katarina, then shifted to Daisy, and then to Alice.

He smirked. "How amusing. So there have been gender replacements in your party as well."

"Look, e-er…Mr. Russia," Alice remarked, taking a few steps forward. Her face was pale, but she looked defiant enough. Alfred wore an expression that was comparable to someone undergoing cardiac arrest. Ivan's eyes settled on her, unblinking.

"W-We were heading here before we got attacked, b-because we need your h-help. Do you…e-erm…have any clue on what could be going on?"

However, before Ivan could respond, Nikolai sneered. "How the fuck are we supposed to know anything? I just woke up here, and my beloved sister wasn't there…and then…last night…I saw her…and she…"

His voice faltered, and a flash of pain shadowed his face. Ivan sighed and finished for him, "My female counterpart lives on the other side of the bridge. She's among the ones who terrorize this land at night. She was quite the fight, and I had no choice but to flee, because we couldn't defeat her."

Katarina's stomach twisted unpleasantly. It all pieced together. The opposite gender counterparts who have been replaced, have turned into creatures of the darkness. Beings who live on the other side of the bridge. It all makes sense. She and her sister are here, so that means their male counterparts are over there. Ivan Braginski is here, so that means Anya was over there .

So…if Antonio is here, that means Isabel is…is…

Katarina felt nauseous. She wanted to throw up. She didn't want to think about it, but the truth was inevitable. It stared at her straight in the face. She felt her limbs tremble.

"I just don't understand this," Alfred said, scratching his head in frustration. "What is going on?"

Katarina looked behind her shoulder to see that both Ludwig and Antonio were as white as ghosts. Gilbert was glaring at his feet, his red eyes glinting. Alice looked like she was going to be sick. And Daisy, her sister who stood beside her, had tears building up in her eyes, her face crumpling in devastation.

Everyone seemed to understand. Except for Alfred, of course.

Ivan closed his eyes for a second before responding, "It seems that our opposite gender counterparts have all turned into beings of the dark side."

Alfred still looked a bit confused. "But…"

"Good God, Alfred! It's not that hard to understand!" Alice burst out, tears spilling from her eyes again. "The reason why I'm here is because YOUR England is on the other side. The same goes for everyone! Since you're here, that means Emily has turned evil. Don't you get it?"

Realization started to flood his face. He looked sick. Absolutely sick. "So that's why both Feliciano and Lovino…"

Alice nodded, biting her lip to prevent an escaping sob.

Alfred looked like he was going to collapse. His face drained of all color as he choked out, "A-Arthur…"

Katarina couldn't stand this. Her Isabel is now an evil being. An evil being whose main mission is to destroy and kill and annihilate. She grasped onto her sister's arm tightly to support herself, and Daisy placed her hand over Katarina's, her limbs trembling.

"Who the fuck is behind this?" spat Gilbert. He looked absolutely pissed. His red eyes were flashing dangerously and his teeth were bared.

Ivan just kept smiling. He shook his head and answered, "We don't know. Though I do suspect someone has manipulated this whole situation so that we are here."

"Well, what are we going to do about it?" Alfred burst out angrily, his words hoarse and his limbs trembling.

Ivan smiled slightly. "Don't worry. We'll figure it out. I do plan on doing something about this, for I do really wish to go back to my own country. However, I do believe that in order for us to reverse this, we will have to cross the bridge."

Silence. Dead silence.

Katarina felt like someone had ripped out her innards. The thought of going over the bridge was just…just…no. Absolutely not. They had barely stood a few minutes against the Italian brothers, before they were sliced to bits. They weren't even sure if Meg would live or not.

"How the FUCK can we go there?" Alfred thundered, looking absolutely panicked.

Nikolai sneered. "Don't talk to him like that, you capitalist pig!"

But Ivan ignored this statement. He just continued to smile, as he answered, "I know of a certain young sorceress who lives in the empire of Chikasti. She happens to have a certain quality that enables her to effectively fight the beings on the other side. I say we journey there, da?"

"Wait, where is Chikasti?" Alice asked.

"I-It's not far from here at all, though it'd take a whole day to get there, according to the maps," Dmitri answered, speaking for the first time.

"Da. If we started to journey now, we would not make it before nightfall, so I suggest that we start our journey tomorrow right at the crack of dawn. For now, I believe it would be good for us to all rest," Ivan stated, his facial expression not changing one bit.

"B-But what about Meg?" Alice choked out.

Ivan responded, "Elena Laurinaitis over there happens to be excellent in the art of healing. I assure you that if she's attended to properly, she shall be fine. If she does not wake by tomorrow morning, you can all deal with the arrangements of how to carry her body with us on the journey."

Alice closed her mouth and stepped back a bit, nodding slightly. Elena stepped forward with a tentative smile on her face, though her eyes shone with fear as she glanced at Ivan. "I will attend to her right now," she stated before she walked out of the room.

"Ve, w-who is this sorceress?" Daisy asked, avoiding looking directly into the Russian's eyes.

"Her name is Chunyan Wang. I'm assuming that you know her, da?" he asked Daisy.

Katarina's eyes widened. Chunyan. China. So she's on the good side then? The male nation's faces paled. They had just realized that that means that the China they know is evil.

Daisy nodded slowly, her eyes wide.

Ivan then spoke, not once blinking, "Leena, Aisma, accompany these nations back to their rooms. I am sorry for disrupting your needed rest."

The two younger Baltics jumped up frightfully before scampering toward the group. However, Ludwig spoke in a deep, grating voice, "Hold on. I have one question."

Ivan smiled at him, waiting for him to continue. Ludwig seemed to cringe under the Russian's non-blinking stare.

"How did you save us? How did we…survive?"

Ivan's smile faltered a bit, before he responded softly, "The question of how you all survived even baffles me. Nikolai, Dmitri, and I barely escaped my lovely counterpart before dawn approached and these beings faded away. We found all of you a few hours later, right when the sky was starting to brighten. We believed that you were all dead, but you weren't. I don't know how to explain this, but I felt something in the air…something strange. All I can conclude is that it was preventing you from losing your lives."

At this statement a shockwave went down both Ludwig's and Gilbert's spine. Ludwig couldn't explain why, but the thought unnerved him. And Gilbert…he faintly remembered right before he passed out…something…some bright white light…warm light…

"Let us not wander too much on the matter. I suggest that you all rest for tomorrow's journey." Ivan then motioned for both Leena and Aisma, before dismissing them with a small wave of his hand.

"_поспи хорошо_. Sleep well."

XX

However, Katarina didn't sleep, despite how tired she was. Of course, she had been placed in a room with Antonio. And now it was just plain awkward, sitting there on her bed, staring at the opposite wall, highly aware of his presence.

She didn't know if she should say something. She was overwhelmed by everything. She couldn't believe that this was happening. It was ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous.

Katarina had a hard enough time being the Southern part of Italy. She struggled with being a nation, with trying to keep up with her prettier, richer, and more prosperous sister. She never thought that she would be placed in a situation like this, where she was…human. Where she could die. And at the hands of other nations.

Then there were her strange feelings for Antonio. She had to swallow he lump in her throat as she thought of his earlier outburst.

_Cut it out, Katarina! The stupid tomato bastard has every right to be upset._

Yet, she still felt bitterness. She curled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, glaring at the stone wall. She kept her breathing quiet, though her heart was hammering in her chest.

Then he spoke. His voice was soft, cautious…

"_Tarina?" _

Her breath hitched and her stomach fluttered. She gritted my teeth and squeezed her eyes shut. No, she would not answer. she would show him that she was angry. That she is NOT torn up over this. Just pissed off. _Si, si._ That's what she'll do…

"Katarina?" he tried again. Still not answering.

Then he spoke, yet again, his voice so full of sadness that it literally broke her heart.

"Please speak to me."

She bit her lip as her eyes stung. Dammit! Why was she crying! She was so fucking weak! Absolutely weak!

Finally, she spat, "_What, _tomato bastard?"

He sighed. "I'm sorry, _mi tomate. _For yelling at you earlier. I was just…"

He trailed off.

The air was heavy. And it was hard to breathe. Katarina wondered if this is what it felt like to fall into delirium. She subconsciously wondered if this were all just an invention of her officially cracked mind.

She breathed in, and then out.

"Katarina…" Antonio tried again. Katarina shifted on her bed and faced him. He was also sitting on his bed, his shoulders slumped, and his face tired…so tired and sad. His tan cheeks seemed discolored, and there were dark circles under his eyes. Even from here, she could see the scars on his neck and face.

Yet he was still beautiful. His green eyes were shimmering. The only part of him that seemed alive.

Her throat closed up, and she felt the tears spill down her cheeks. Yet, she didn't let the sobs escape. No, she wouldn't let herself completely lose it. She wouldn't turn into a blubbering mess. She had to stay strong. She had to keep a level head…

"It's fine," she choked out. Her voice cracked, and she cringed at the sound of it. "You're forgiven."

Antonio remained motionless, his eyes never leaving her as she struggled to keep it together. Alright then, fine. She'll do the talking.

Katarina took another deep breath, calming herself, before opening her mouth and saying, "L-Look, bastard. I know that you're upset. Really upset. S-So I can't really blame you f-for exploding. A-And…"

She squeezed her eyes shut, before opening them and looking down at her lap, determinedly avoiding his eyes.

"I-I know. I-I'm not your South Italy. I'm not L-Lovino. A-and…I'm sorry for that, okay?"

Her vision was blurred by the oncoming tears. This was so damn frustrating! She wasn't used to this sort of crap! Katarina didn't do emotional, sentimental confessions, or apologies, or monologues...or any of that shit. Her normal way of dealing with conflicted feelings would consist of a lot of screaming and cursing.

Antonio remained silent. And she was glad for that. She wasn't sure if she could handle him saying anything right now.

Katarina literally felt like she was on a never ending menstrual period. She couldn't control the tears, even though she kept wiping them away with the back of her hand. They were just so persistent.

"B-but, even if you don't like it, I-I'm the closest thing you have to your South Italy, just like you're the c-closest thing I'll have to Isabel. I-I know it's not the same, b-but i-if you promise m-me…"

Where was this coming from? Katarina had no clue why she was saying these things, but it felt like the right thing to do. She still didn't look up. She didn't want to see Antonio's facial expression.

"I-If you p-promise me that y-you'll work with me, even if y-you have to pretend, I promise you that I'll do everything i-in my power to get you your Lovi back. E-even if I have to do it m-myself."

Katarina didn't understand what was stimulating her to say this, but it seemed so natural on her tongue. It broke her heart to say it, but there were magic in the words. It almost felt like a vow was being made, a permanent powerful one.

The air shifted slightly, and Katarina looked up. To her surprise, Antonio was standing right there, towering over her. He looked down at her with tender green eyes. The corner of his lips tilted upwards slightly.

"I'll work with you, Katarina. But I don't need to pretend. I'm Spain, and you're South Italy. No matter who you are, I'm the boss, and you're my henchman, _si?" _

The small smirk on his lips filled her with a strange sense of hope. The tears stopped coming.

Antonio extended a hand toward her.

Katarina took it.


	8. Invasion

Germany was still numb. Speechless. He felt as if he could never speak again. His throat ached from the yelling, the sobbing…his limbs were sore from the countless scars that would probably never fade. He didn't want to be here anymore. He wanted to go back to his world….a rational world. A world where he was the only Germany, a world where all he had to worry about were economic and societal issues, annoying bosses, and other mishaps that come with running a country. Germany inwardly laughed at the thought. Sometimes, he would've given anything to just be human, to not have to worry about Germany, or his brother, or saving Italy's ass. But now…here…being "human" in a strange universe where his best friend has turned against him, tried to kill him…it's just too much.

It killed him. It literally killed Germany to see Feliciano act out like that. He felt betrayed, angry, saddened, shocked, hurt…everything. The blonde nation didn't know if he could actually go on like this. Would it be so wrong to just…die? Could he die? Out on the field, with his skin being slashed into ribbons, it sure as hell felt like he was dying. Ivan even said that they were on the brink of death. But what the hell had saved them? Germany felt unnerved; a strange sensation went through his body when he thought of what he had seen before he passed out. He was calling out to Prussia, and through his blurred vision, he saw his brother collapse. Then, German felt this strange sensation in the pit of his stomach, a warm tingling breath of air….comfort. So he closed his eyes, feeling the never ending light…this light he didn't even know existed. But it didn't matter, because it was there and he felt it within him, feeding him warmth and strength and reassurance.

But what was it? What prevented them from dying? Was there really something in this universe that was willing to show them some mercy?

It didn't matter. The fact is…is that his Feliciano is evil. Mutated. Cruel. Ruthless. And if the worst comes, Germany may have no clue but to dispose of him. After all, he always learned to do what has to be done, despite personal feelings and emotions.

The thought made him absolutely sick. He took in a deep breath, staring at the stone wall opposite him. He couldn't bear to turn around and look at HER. Daisy Vargas. The North Italy that wasn't Feliciano. The North Italy that was very similar to his Feli, yet different. It was too painful. Much too painful. Germany knew that it wasn't her fault all of this was happening, but he sometimes couldn't help but wish…just wish that it would've been Daisy on the other side rather than Feli. Yes, it was an awful though. Yes, he felt ashamed for thinking that. But it was the truth. Feliciano was his best friend, and Daisy…she's nice. She's sweet. She's strong. She's a fighter. She's…beautiful. So beautiful.

But she just isn't Feliciano. She isn't his best friend.

His best friend is a fucking psycho priest-mutant murderer.

He stared at the stone wall. Strange shadows were dancing eerily, erratically. Yet, even though everything seemed to be in motion, he knew that everything was still. Too still. He didn't dare turn around. Never. He knew she was there. He could feel her presence behind him and he was just too afraid to acknowledge it.

Then, he heard it. Her sigh. Her adorable sigh.

"Ve, Ludwig…I know you probably don't want to talk to me, but you're starting to creep me out."

That damn verbal tic…it drove him crazy. It made Germany's heart ache. He felt his eye twitch, but he didn't respond. He started to fidget slightly. Stare straight at the wall, stare straight at the wall, stare straight at the wall…

He heard another sigh. "Look, I know it's hard. Your best friend attempted to kill you…well…kill all of us. _Mi dispiace_. I really am. But sulking isn't going to do anything."

Germany gritted his teeth. He felt irritation swell up within him. How dare she…how dare this girl say this to him…to just dismiss his grief, to scold him for fucking "sulking." No. Nein. Who does she think she is? She doesn't even know him, dammit! She may be North Italy but she was NOT Feliciano.

"Shut up."

"…Excuse me?"

"SCHNAUZE! SHUT UP!" He growled, spinning around, standing up, and approaching her. He towered over her as he glared down at her, shooting every ounce of wrath that he had. He expected to see her cower, to see her cry, to see her beg for mercy, to see her eat shit at his feet, to see her do what Feliciano would've done…but she didn't. She just crossed her arms coolly and rose an eyebrow.

"Ve, at least I got a fucking reaction out of you,_ si_?" she spoke with an almost smug tone, yet Germany could see that her eyes were dark. The scars on her cheeks seemed to stand out with her gloomy expression and Germany immediately felt remorse for yelling at her. She also went through it. She suffered the same physical pain that he did…the feeling of being sliced open alive. The evidence was right there.

He took a few steps back, running his hand through his unusually messy blonde hair that fell into his eyes. He was shaking. "_Fick, _stop it! Just s-stop it."

Daisy continued to stare at him with the same facial expression. "I'm not doing anything, Ludwig."

"_M-Mein Gott!_ You are way too insensitive!" he burst out, feeling his eyes blur.

"Ve, how am I being insensitive? I'm telling you the truth," came Daisy's cool reply. She remained unyielding, unmoving. And Germany wasn't used to that. He was used to an Italy who would freak out and do anything for him when he was upset. He was used to an Italy who would cry at the sight of his friend crying. He wasn't used to this Italy, this Italy who kept her foot down to prove her point.

What point?

"I-I…t-that….THAT WAS MY BEST FRIEND WHO TRIED TO KILL US! I-I don't understand any fucking thing…" Germany spluttered, taking even more steps away, looking down at his feet.

She sighed again. "Look, I understand…"

"Nein. You don't. Feli…he's…he's…"

_Everything to me. _

Those unspoken words were left hanging in the air like a thick cloud of dust, swirling and twirling angrily.

It was silent for a few moments before Daisy spoke again. "Ludwig, I'm sorry. I'm sincerely sorry. I can see that he means a lot to you…but…but…"

Germany looked up to see that she was staring out the wide open window, the window that exposed the wide open sky, the tauntingly beautiful green rolling hills, a mockery of beauty.

"But Feliciano…he isn't here now. You have to face it. We're trying to figure this all out so we can reverse this mess, but as of now, as of the present. You're here and I'm here, but Feliciano is over somewhere on the other side of this universe. It's the truth, Ludwig. If you want to yell at me, you can," she said softly, using her hand to scratch her other arm.

Germany stared at her with an intense expression. He took her all in. Slim, petite, long thick curly brown hair with a single flyaway curl, big chocolate colored eyes with swirls of amber, milky skin covered in faint scars.

He didn't want to yell at her.

He didn't know what he wanted to do.

So he just stood there.

"Ve, Ludwig…have you ever thought that the others may be suffering just as much as you are? It's not just you and Antonio. Sorella most definitely is upset about Isabel. Alice is horrified about what happened to Meg, and she's worried sick about Emily. Alfred probably feels pretty bad about the fact that his England must be evil as well, and probably his brother as well. Then there's Gilbert, who's beating himself up over the fact that he couldn't do anything to protect Meg," Daisy spoke, still looking at the ground, her voice noticeably more quiet than before.

Germany continued to stare at her blankly, letting the words soak through his brain.

"And…I…" she continued, now looking from the floor and straight into Germany's blue eyes. His breath hitched at the eye contact, his senses running on overdrive.

"…I feel like I'm going to kill myself. Because I know that Louise is evil as well, and that she'll try and kill me…a-and that…I may have no choice but to…to…" her voice was steady, but eerily soft.

Germany understood what she was trying to say. He had just been thinking the same thing a moment ago. And it actually broke his heart.

Here was Daisy Vargas, in front of him. Her best friend was his own female counterpart. There was some huge connection there, an intimate connection. Because he and her best friend are both Germany as well. It was sad really…in any other situation, he would've loved to meet his female counterpart. He was sure that they would get along really well, possibly like brother and sister.

He nodded. "_Ja_, I know." His voice was abnormally soft, and it felt strange against his tongue, to say something so quietly.

Then, out of nowhere, the Italian girl wrapped her arms around his middle, burying her head into her chest. Germany let out a small gasp as he stiffened at the sudden contact. He felt his cheeks burn and he kept his arms at his side, unsure of what to do. He was never one for physical contact, not even with his closest friends.

"Um…W-What are you doing?"

"Ve, I needed a hug, so I assumed you needed one as well," she answered, her voice muffled against his chest. He felt his lips twitch up into a small smile at her answer as he slowly wrapped his arms around her small frame as well. She felt small and dainty in his arms, but she was still a significant vibrant figure of warmth.

This was…nice.

Maybe he should give hugs more often. Maybe, when all of this is done, he'll actually let Feliciano hug him without snapping.

They stood for a little while, feeling the slight breeze from the outside of the window caress them. A momentary stillness. A momentary peace.

"U-Um…you can let go now," Germany remarked, feeling his face grow hot with the prolonged contact.

"V-Ve, right. Mi dispiace," Daisy responded, breaking away from him swiftly, a sheepish smile on her lips and her cheeks bright red. The blush looked very endearing against her skin. She backed up wordlessly, sitting down gently on her bed, which was propped against the wall right under the window. She leaned against the stone, the sun catching illuminating the mixtures of copper and gold hidden within her hair.

She closed her eyes and let out a small sigh.

Germany was transfixed. Absolutely transfixed.

He gulped, staring at the way she curled her knees up to her chest and rested her hands gently on top of them. Another silence filled the room, a tension-filled silence. The air was thick and Germany found it hard to breathe. What was going on? He tried to snap out of it, to wrack his brains, to tell himself that he was overreacting to absolutely nothing.

But of course, it didn't work.

The blonde nation found himself walking over to Daisy, who was still in the same position, knees curled up, hands on knees, eyes closed gently, slow breathing.

_Mein Gott…what's happening?_

But his actions didn't seem to mirror his thought process. He bent down slowly, so that his face was level with hers. Daisy's eyes were still closed, so gently, so serene.

And so, he closed the distance between their lips gently. Daisy's response was immediate. She breathed in deeply and she snaked her arms around the German, coaxing him to fully get on the bed with her.

Germany was in shock. But it was…good. It was better than anything. He breathed in sharply and tangled his hands in her long brown hair as he squeezed himself on to the bed, deepening the kiss. The air was licking at his skin and he felt exposed…so exposed but safe. Free. Liberated.

Their kisses were tender, slow, yet passionate. The hot swirling air was balanced by the breeze that shifted unevenly through the window. Germany felt goosebumps erupt over every inch of his skin when he felt her nails graze his back under his loose shirt.

He didn't know why he was doing this. He didn't understand it at all. He'd seen plenty of beautiful women before in his life, but he had never had the sudden urge to kiss any of them…unless he was completely drunk. In fact, Germany was about as romantic as a piece of wood.

But this…this was different. The feel of her soft skin as his hands snaked up her sides, the taste of her lips, the way her sharp breaths came out at uneven intervals…

Overwhelming.

And there is a strong connection. A very strong binding connection, intangible.

And though she may not be Feliciano, she is still North Italy.

And he is still Germany.

North Italy and Germany are intertwined, and always will be.

So he smiled under the kiss, as he whispered her name gently against her lips. Daisy. Daisy varags. And she smiled in return.

XX

The day passed slowly, almost ominously as the nations stayed in the castle, mostly in their rooms, too intimidated to wander the Rugaskan castle alone. Most of them attempted to rest or sleep, but found it difficult, for a dark feeling of dread coated their insides. They didn't hear from Ivan or his siblings for the rest of the day.

Occasionally, the three female Baltics would come to check up on them, but only for brief periods, before leaving them in their sullen isolation. Occasionally, Alice would check up on Meg, just to make sure that she was still breathing. Gilbert, paranoid and full of bitterness, was hesitant to even look at her, but he still looked over at her just to make sure her chest rose and fell. The dark feeling of unease increased with each passing hour as the sun sunk lower. Meg didn't even stir.

And it was getting cold. The sky was getting dark. And the air was growing putrid.

They all knew that it was happening again, so they held their breaths as various numbers of servants came in to shield the windows with thick slabs of wood, jamming them into slots that blended in with the stone to keep them in place.

Yet, they knew that they could still probably hear everything that was going on. Germany wondered how the people of this universe could sleep through the night, listening to the wails and screeches and other horrid sounds that the enemy emitted, but he didn't dare ask anyone.

Germany was lying on his bed, his lips tight as he stared blankly up at the ceiling. He could already hear that awful wind pick up outside, that distant screeching noise he knew would echo throughout the whole damn land endlessly. They were approaching.

Yet, he was in here, safe. Safe, but feeling sick to his stomach. Daisy was on her bed, curled up in a ball as she gritted her teeth, her eyes wide, and her face pale.

It was going to be a long night.

Germany thought of it. The fact that Feli was so close, yet so distant. He was out there, causing massive destruction. His limbs and scars ached at the memory and he wanted to vomit. He didn't dare open his mouth, nor move his muscles. The room was dim, lit only by three candles sitting on a small table at the side of Daisy's bed, the wax continuing to melt with each passing second.

However, the silence was broken when the door burst open, hitting the wall with force. Germany jumped shakily and stared at Elena Laurinaitis. She was panting, her hair disheveled, her face deathly pale, and her eyes wide open in sheer terror.

Before she even said the words, Germany felt his stomach drop about a million miles.

"W-We…we ran out of sheep's blood. The castle's unprotected."

The roaring outside grew louder and Germany exchanged a dreaded look with Daisy, who looked like she was going to be sick. They were in trouble. Everyone.

No, he didn't want to go through this again.

"Quickly! Ivan ordered me to lead you to the cellar. It's the only somewhat safe place left. My sisters have led the others down! There's no time; they're coming!" she burst out, her shoulders trembling.

Germany knew that she was right. He could feel the cold air seep through his clothes and his throat felt thick. His ears were pounding and he felt lightheaded.

Daisy approached him, stopping at his side. She looked at him, looking like she wanted nothing more than to break down.

Germany grasped her hand and they both ran, following after Elena, who was rather quick on her feet as she coaxed them, leading them along dark passageways, twisting corridors, narrow stairs…down and down and down…and the wind was picking up, shaking the foundations of the castle, swirling with the putrid smell of blood, roaring and whispering mantras…mantras that mixed and danced and stabbed.

His limbs were on fire, but he didn't stop, dragging Daisy along. He wouldn't dare let go of her hand, in fear of losing her if he did.

Finally, they reached a narrow dark corridor that seemed to plunge further and further down into an endless abyss. Germany squeezed Daisy's hand and squinted his eyes so as not to lose sight of Elena. As they descended, the bitter smell and the eerie sounds started to subside, but they never fully faded away. Elena then paused, bent over, and she seemed to pull on a latch, which revealed a tight dark circular hole.

Elena looked at them frantically and motioned for them to climb in. "Hurry up! Get in!"

Germany didn't waste time. The sounds were starting to get louder, even down here. The air started to smell of rotten flesh and blood again. He clambered forward, dragging Daisy along with him, and he let go of her hand momentarily to descend carefully into the hole.

It was definitely tight; everything he grasped for support was damp. It smelt of fresh earth, and Germany could not see a thing. Once his feet hit the hard ground, he immediately looked up and grabbed Daisy's hand once again, to help her down.

Once the two reached the bottom, Elena climbed in, and sealed the opening, twisting the latch with a click so that it was locked.

"Everyone is here now, da?"

Germany almost yelped at the eerie voice, but Daisy's firm hand squeeze calmed him down.

"Yes," Elena answered.

"…West?" Prussia's voice whispered through the darkness.

"Ja," Germany answered.

"Sorella, you're here, si?" Daisy asked gently.

"Of course I am you fucking idiota! We're all here!" Katarina snapped.

"Quiet down, 'Tarina…" Antonio said soothingly.

"Don't tell me what to do, you bastard…"

"Oi! Stop acting like bloody children…and Alfred, you're crushing my arm!"

"This is so fucking UNAWESOME…"

"Um…M-Master Ivan…"

CRASH!

Everyone jumped as the cellar rattled dramatically. Germany gulped, his breathing going hoarse as he ducked, pulling Daisy with him, who gave a little squeak.

After a few moments of eerie silence, Germany allowed himself to straighten up a tiny bit. His heart pounded in his ears and his stomach started to twist unpleasantly once again.

"Ahhh…they are very near. I do not know how long this place will protect us," Russia's eerily calm voice penetrated the air.

"…You mean, they can get in? What the fuck!" Prussia exclaimed.

"Dude! I don't want to die!" America said, his voice coated with panic.

Russia gave a small laugh. Germany could barely make out the outline of his silhouette against the opposite wall. "You are all so amusing. This cellar is especially equipped for dire situations like this. If the enemy does manage to penetrate the walls and enter the cellar, you must not move. You understand, da?"

"V-Ve…how does that work?" Daisy asked shakily.

"To be honest, I don't know. I just know that this cellar has a strange enchantment on it. It's strong, but not strong enough to keep out the enemy. But you will be protected as long as you don't move…or make too much noise. So we must not breathe too loudly, and try to refrain from blinking excessively," Russia answered in that calmly optimistic tone.

"…This is fucking bullshit," spat Katarina.

There was another loud crash, causing rapid vibrations through the cellar, followed by the whistling of wind. Germany felt extremely cold and nauseous.

"What a shame. I have a dire feeling that this castle will be in ruins. How unfortunate," Russia said.

"…Wait a minute…aren't there are other people who live up in the castle as well?" America asked, his voice starting to rise dangerously.

"Da."

"And…and you just left them up there?" His tone was getting more and more bitter by the second. Germany inwardly groaned. He knew that it was absolutely awful that the other inhabitants of the Rugaskan castle were going to meet their dreaded fate, but this was NOT the time for America to twitch about his hero complex and pick fights with someone like Russia.

"A-Alfred…please don't…." Alice pleaded.

"You fucking communistic…" America started, sounding as if he were spitting each word with as much venom as he could muster.

"Shut your damn mouth you capitalistic pig, or I will skewer you," came the cold biting voice of Belarus's male counterpart. Germany shivered slightly. He had forgotten that he was in here as well.

"Let's not fight, please…" came the gentler, pleading voice of Ukraine's male counterpart.

BOOM!

Germany cried out as the tremor caused him to fall forward. He landed on the ground hard, hitting his chin on the sharp, ragged ground. He moaned in protest.

He heard Daisy's frantic voice, "Ludwig, get in the corner!"

He blindly started to crawl, not knowing exactly what direction he was going. When his hands grappled a rough wall, he stopped and curled up, wishing that he could just disappear. He felt a pair of arms wrap around him protectively, and his shaking seemed to cease slightly.

"Danke…Daisy…" he panted.

"Di niente…" she whispered back.

Then, it was silent. Absolutely silent.

No one dared to say a word. Even the slight shift of the muscle seemed absolutely out of place.

However, a slight moan broke the silence.

Germany's back stiffened and his head whipped around toward the sound.

"M-Meg?" Alice's weak voice followed.

"She's waking up. Damn, fucking bad timing," Prussia noted, distress in his voice.

Russia gave out another small laugh.

"W-Wh…." Meg's whispery voice cracked with a whimper of what Germany presumed to be pain. Then, he heard his brother speak.

"Shhh…whatever you move, do not move, alright? You're still bleeding."

Germany was taken aback by how soft spoken his brother sounded. He would've probably commented on it in any other circumstance, but his throat seemed to be completely dried out.

"Meg…I'm so glad you're o-okay…" Alice whispered. Germany could tell that she was on the verge of tears.

BAM!

Another tremor rippled through the cellar, this time stronger, louder. Germany clutched his head, for it was pounding uncontrollably. The smell was leaking in. The temperature was dropping. He could hear the familiar, dreaded wailing.

Then another one.

BAM!

BAM!

BAM!

With each crash, the tremor got greater. It felt as if the foundations of the cellar would burst at any moment.

Everyone braced themselves. They knew that it was coming. Germany kept telling himself not to panic as the pounding grew louder and louder. He had to calm himself. He had to be prepared to stay absolutely…still…

BAM!

With a final bam, the air was filled with debris. Germany squeezed his eyes shut and help his breath, determined not to breathe in the opaque air. He locked his limbs as he slowly opened his eyes.

No one made a sound as the debris cleared, revealing a huge gaping hole right smack in the middle of the stone foundation.

And stepping into the cellar from the gaping hole…

Was none other than Arthur Kirkland, the shadows dancing dangerously under his eyes.


	9. My Promise

**((USUK Chapter XD)) **

Breathless.

Shocked.

Horrified.

Sick.

Absolutely sick.

That's how Alfred Jones felt as he saw Arthur – HIS Arthur Kirkland stand there, motionless, frozen, the shadows dancing around him like wraiths. The air was cold and putrid; the taint of fresh blood was in the air; the ghost of distant screams came floating in from the howling wind that whistled through the gaping hole of the cellar.

Alfred wanted to move. To reach out and catch Arthur, to save him, to stop him. His throat and eyes burned. He bit the inside of his mouth to prevent himself from trembling. The American felt a squeeze from the small hands that were already in his. A reassurance squeeze, a pleading squeeze…subtle. It was Alice Kirkland, Arthur Kirkland's female counterpart. The other England. The good England, the one who has stayed fervently by his side no matter the insults he throws at her, the one who still comforts him even though they've just met.

Exactly like his England. His England who raised him, cared for him, betrayed him, fought him, took his hand, held him when he cried.

It was an odd, gut-wrenchingly beautiful feeling. To think that no matter which one it was, England would always love him.

But…Alfred _knew_ Arthur Kirkland.

Arthur Kirkland, the man.

Not just the country. Alfred had a personal connection with this man, this man that was so familiar to him, now a bloodthirsty monster. And that hurt more than anything.

The American had enough sense to know not to move, no matter how difficult it was. But that didn't stop the tears from spilling. He wanted desperately to wipe them, but he couldn't. He just prayed that no one else noticed how this was affecting him.

Arthur took a few steps forward; it was silent, deathly silent except for the subtle echo of his footsteps. He turned his head slowly from side to side, his eyes dark and ruthless, seeming to examine every inch of the space around him.

Another few steps forward.

Frozen stiff.

No movement.

No one breathed.

Breathless.

Silence. Absolute silence except for the howling wind.

Arthur was only a foot away from Alfred. If the American reached out a hand, he could just…touch him. Hold his arm, clutch his hand. He kept his eyes on the British man, still biting the inside of his mouth so that he wouldn't shake.

Another turn of the head. Look from side to side.

No shift in face expression. Cold and blank, just like the Italy brothers.

Dancing shadows. Dark aura. Something was off. Definitely not right.

Alfred felt a new sense of dread fill the pit of his stomach, a stronger, more menacing one that replaced the previous icy feeling. Though he couldn't move, or say anything at the very second, he knew that they were not safe. They were going to have to move.

As…

Quickly…

As…

Possible.

The unspoken message floated through the air; it was crystal clear. They were going to be killed. Annihilated. Destroyed. Blown to smithereens.

Unless they moved.

They couldn't fight; they couldn't even try.

Alfred almost let out a dark laugh as he acknowledged the fact that Arthur Kirkland, despite the fact that the American had always teased him, was one of the most dangerous nations alive. He wasn't weak. He had enough ruthlessness to create a massive British Empire. Not only that, but the man had black magic on his side.

Arthur could see things that others couldn't. He delved into dark seas that others were afraid to even think about it. Alfred always mocked him for it, but deep down, the American knew that his British friend was underestimated; toxic and deadly with his secret weapon.

And, as a cruel, ruthless monster, his deadliness increased by about ten times.

Arthur knew they were there. Alfred could see that as clear as day. The American didn't know how he knew; he could just tell. Remaining motionless was just a death sentence on their part.

Arthur's green eyes seemed to sharpen.

Alfred's lip twitched.

Three…

The wind picked up again; the Englishman's head tilted gently to the side.

Two…

Cerulean and emerald eyes locked; intense glares were exchanged.

One…

No…there was no time to move. They were doomed. Dead. It was written all over the coldness of Arthur's face. In less than a second, they would be nothing but piles of flesh and blood, maybe even ash.

Zero.

"MOVE!"

BANG!

Alfred couldn't see anything. Everything was pitch black as his body went flying backwards, slamming against the rugged stone wall. It all happened so fast; he felt his body crash against the ground, the impact knocking him breathless. He already felt the stickiness drip from his forehead, the metallic smell filling his nostrils.

The air smelt awful, the putrid stench causing the American to dry heave. Every inch of him seemed to burn and he couldn't comprehend direction, reality, sight…but he could hear.

He heard the screaming and the howling and the uncontrollably screeching and chants…the sound of inevitable death. Alfred hastily wiped at his eyes again, hoping to regain some vision; after a few minutes, he did. But all he could see was the dust of debris. It stung his eyes and made him hack, his chest feeling as if it were going to explode. He brought his hands to his eyes, and saw that they were stained with scarlet. So much scarlet that dripped down his skin.

Panic swelled within him; what if the others were…were…

Alfred tried to get to his feet, but putting weight on his knees proved to be too much as he crumpled to the ground again. Before another thought could enter his mind, he felt the earth beneath him tremble before an earsplitting explosion caused him to immediately cover his head and crouch down, praying that whatever caused the noise wouldn't strike him.

The sound continued; the sound of multiple explosions. Deafening. Overwhelming.

And he wouldn't stop bleeding.

Alfred could feel the blood continue to drip down his forehead and onto his nose. He was getting dizzier and dizzier with each passing second. He tried to crawl forward, aimlessly reaching out, only to have his hands meet the rugged earth.

But something was off. Alfred heard the explosions, felt the trembling of the earth, smelt the putrid scent of rotten flesh…but nothing seemed to be touching him.

Despite the fact that he knew that he had to concentrate on getting out of the current situation, even if he knew it was nearly impossible, Alfred couldn't ignore the fact. Why wasn't he getting hit? Tossed around? He felt like he was in a battlefield, but without actually fighting the battle itself.

"Amerika..."

Through the whirling haze, Alfred heard his name being called…no spoken. Someone was really close to him, could possibly see him. The American turned on the spot, blindly reaching out, afraid to open his eyes. One wrong move, and he could find himself in the potential bloodbath.

Someone grabbed his arm, a strong firm grip. Alfred felt his body being lifted from the ground, and for a second, he felt weightless, free, graceful…that was before he felt himself slam against someone else' back. Out of instinct, he reached out and wrapped his arms around the neck to support himself as he straddled the person's waist.

"_Derzhatʹsya_, Amerika…" Oh how convenient.

It was Russia.

But Alfred knew, in his disillusioned state, that this wasn't the time for bitterness. At least the commie was saving his life. He knew that they were moving, and all Alfred could do was hope that the others were going to be okay. He could hear the continuing explosions, could feel the debris in the air.

But why weren't they getting hit?

BOOM. BANG!

The tremor almost caused Russia to lose his balance.

Alfred's eyes shot open; all he could see were colors, dark colors illuminated by a white light that seemed to swirl uncontrollably through each other.

He blinked…once…twice…his arms tightening their hold around the Russian's neck.

Was he dying? Was he blind? What the hell was happening? Then…his vision started to clear, the colors slowly draining away.

Though his consciousness was fading, the sight before him jolted his stomach and sent a wild panic surging through his body. They had made it outside, the sky starless and black. The ground was ravaged with blood and deep holes, the dust flying around everywhere like a windstorm.

BANG BANG BANG! Explosion here, and there. But always missing. Missing by barely an inch. And now Alfred knew why. Through the dusty haze, he saw a girl with long sandy hair, her back to him, crouched in a predatory-like position, as she faced a cold, ruthless, Arthur Kirkland.

BAM! Another explosion.

She thrust out her hands and deflect it…barely. A huge, shimmering veil-like substance would swirl through the air at a rapid speed, pulsating, magnificent. And with a shocking realization, Alfred realized that this substance was acting as a shield.

It was protecting them, strong and sturdy.

But he could also tell, that due to her crouched position and the way her feet seemed to dig into the ground, that she was struggling. Struggling so hard.

Alfred opened his mouth to say something…anything…his heart jolting violently at the sight of both Englands battling each other.

It was obvious that Arthur was winning; the blows and bangs and explosions continued relentlessly. Alice was barely hanging on, her long hair whipping around her wildly. The American couldn't feel anything but the blood that kept streaming down his forehead; he tried to blink away at the droplets that kept getting into his eyes, but it was no use.

He was feeling lighter and lighter with each passing second, and his eyes were getting heavier and heavier… blackness. All blackness.

XX

Alice Kirkland wanted to give up so badly. Just to rest for a second. But she knew that she couldn't; she was already losing. Her arms were stretched out before her, her muscles aching and twitching from the amount of effort it took for her to keep her force field intact. It was all she could do against this evil form of Arthur Kirkland.

She couldn't fight him. Nothing she had tried had an effect on him; the spells kept coming, flying at her and the other relentlessly, slashing and snarling, hitting the ground with wild explosions. She was already bleeding, her stomach cut wide open as the blood poured; she could register the feeling of it tricking down her knees.

Her vision was fading, but she kept her arms outstretched. She wanted the others to escape, even if death seemed inevitable for her. There was one thing that Alice would never let herself do, and that would be to lose to her male counterpart.

She didn't give a damn if he was stronger, colder, more powerful, more ruthless. Alice would consider it a triumph if she could hold him off long enough for the others to make a run for it.

BAM! A flash of blinding white light caused her to scream out loud in pain as another curse hit her force field, causing searing hot pain to shoot through her outstretched arms. But she resisted the urge to bend them, or recoil.

She gritted her teeth, feeling her consciousness slowly slip away. She knew that it was the end for her; she didn't know if the others had fled, or if they were already dead. At this point, it didn't matter. She was still making the effort to protect them.

Alice stared ahead, her eyes stinging, becoming fuzzier with each passing second, but she could still see him. Arthur Kirkland. It was startling, to see her male counterpart…fascinating really. He looked like a rather handsome gentleman, with scruffy dirty blonde hair, large green eyes, a well defined face, a nice stature, and rather bushy brows. But the shadows that seemed to dance around him distorted the image.

It didn't belong.

The Arthur Kirkland that Alfred Jones knew and loved wasn't here right now. He's buried deep inside, being pushed into the depths by whatever was infecting them. And it infuriated Alice.

She opened her mouth and started to speak, barely comprehending her own words.

She realized that her voice was muffled from the amount of blood that spilled down her chin as she spoke. "Y-You enjoy that…d-don't you?" He just stared at her blankly. "S-Showing your power. It feels great, doesn't i-it?"

No reaction.

"And I-I'm talking to you…y-yes you…Arthur Kirkland. I-I know you're in there. You and I-I are the s-same country, y-you know…" Alice's arms were burning; it was almost time.

"We were a-a great empire. You remember…t-the glory days. We c-could do whatever the h-hell we wanted. B-But then we lost it. W-We lost it all…"

An earsplitting screech tore through the air, grating against her ears.

She cringed and let out a shriek, biting her lip. Her arms begging for relief, her knees were about to give in, the blood kept dripping her stomach and mouth.

"…We lost the o-one we loved. Y-you know what I-I'm talking about. Y-Yorktown? Any of that ring a bell, Arthur?"

For a millisecond, Alice swore that she saw something flicker in those green eyes of his. Even if it was swift, it was present. She was sure of it. Her heart seemed to skip a beat at the sight, and a lump formed in her throat. Before she could attempt to control it, the flood of memories seemed to attack her brain…it was raining…the water pelting down on her. She was sobbing, her limbs aching and her chest heaving, the gun laying on the ground. She looked up to see Emily standing over her…no it was Alfred, his blue eyes full of sadness…then it was Emily again, her blonde curly hair soaked…then Alfred… It was flickering swiftly between the two; a representation of America winning. America breaking away. America becoming independent.

Alice realized then that the bonds between the male and female counterpart were still present, despite the fact that some of them have been morphed. And it hurt. It hurt so much to know and feel that her counterpart thought about and mourned over the same memories that she did. It made it so much harder for Alice to find the urge to resist his anger, to want to kill him.

Keep your arms out Alice; don't break the shield.

"S-Stop…" she pleaded, keeping her eyes squeezed shut, her arms feeling as if they were going to snap from the amount of pressure being applied to them.

"S-STOP!" Alice screamed once again, her voice growing hysterical as the continuing explosions erupted around her. Her breath hitched violently as she let out a sob. She couldn't do this. Her arms were going to snap…she could feel the bones literally bend under the pressure. She had failed. They were going to die, and it would be her fault. She couldn't hold on long enough.

"A-Arthur…" she whimpered, her voice barely above a whisper. "You can k-kill me; go ahead. I-I'm done for…b-but please. Not the others. Not A-Alfred… you know you d-don't want to kill him. You love him. I kn-know you do."

Maybe Alfred was already dead. With that thought in mind, the small English woman felt her knees buckle as the tears streamed down her face. With one last jolt, both of her arms snapped with a violent crack as the force field died, the only remaining thoughts in the girl's mind resonating around that fateful day where she had fallen to her knees in surrender at Yorktown.

XX

Nothing but white. It pulsated unevenly in her line of sight, liquid, then solid. She tried to make sense of it, but she just couldn't. Did she even exist? What was existence? What was life? Who the hell was she?

Slowly, the white began to fade to a dull tan color, the pulsating decreasing steadily with each passing second, until it was gone completely, leaving her eyes fixed on a small, wooden ceiling.

It all came flooding back; she was Alice Kirkland, personification of England. The room seemed extremely light, and the sound of birds chirping filled her ears. She breathed in slowly, and felt her eyes drooping once again, but with a sudden jolt of realization and panic, she attempted to sit up.

She let out a sharp cry of pain as she collapsed back on the bed; her arms were killing her. She tried to move them, but that just made the pain about ten times worse. She turned her head to each side to look at her arms, and saw that they were heavily bandaged and bound.

Alice knew, with a sickening realization, that her arms had snapped. A feeling of dread filled the pit of her stomach; what if she was the only one left? Did the others die? The thought made her want to throw up.

"Ah, Alice…I see you're awake," a voice sounded from the doorway. It was heavily accented and almost motherly. Alice lifted her head slightly to see who was talking to her. The lady looked rather young by human standards, but Alice could tell that she was a nation, a very old nation at that. She had large green eyes, long flowing brown hair that fell to her waist, and a gentle smile that had the immediate effect of calming the English woman's nerves.

The lady walked forward, wearing what looked like a ragged version of a maid's outfit. Her hands were occupied by a tray with a bowl of what looked like cooked oats, and a jug of milk. Who _was _she, though? Alice knew that she seemed rather familiar to one of the nations back home. She just stared, her eyes filled with scrutiny as she took the woman in.

"In case you're wondering, I'm Elizaveta Hedervary, but you can call me Liz, Lizzie, or Eliza for short; Elizaveta can be a pain to say all of the time," she chanted cheerfully as she set the tray down by the small table that sat at the side of Alice's bed.

Ahh…Hungary. Of course. So, if Elizaveta's here, that means that Daniel is on the other side. Alice didn't make a sound.

"Both of your arms are broken, but they should heal in no time; I've wrapped it with a special concoction that has proved to be damn useful in this world. I can't count the number of times I've already injured myself or fractured something in my time being here. This shit is a life saver," she continued, the smile still present on her face.

Alice just looked away and forced herself to ask the question that she most feared.

"…T-The others?" she whimpered, her breath shaking slightly.

There was a beat of silence before Elizaveta answered with a small sigh, "The middle Baltic didn't make it. I did all I could for her, but she passed away last night; both of her sisters are in shock."

A cold feeling erupted through her body at the news. She didn't know the Baltics very well, but she had seen them around enough for this to have an effect on her. "A-And what about everybody else?" she asked. "They're all fine; Alfred just woke up a few hours ago. He'll be happy to know that you're awake; he's been very worried."

Alice's stomach fluttered slightly at the news, but she instantly squashed it. No; she would not allow herself to succumb to foolish affections at the moment.

"Meg is probably the healthiest out of all of them; she even went with me to the market this morning to grab more supplies. She's such a sweetie. Both Antonio and Katarina are alright, but they aren't allowed to move for now. They're pretty messed up. Ivan and his siblings are conscious, but they're not allowed to move either. Ludwig is still unconscious, but Daisy won't leave his side and Gilbert…" the Hungarian rolled her eyes slightly as she mentioned him. "He's the same as ever. I'm seriously about to take a sludge hammer and break his legs again so that he can't walk."

Alice let out a heavy sigh of relief; alright…so most of them were completely fine. But the one fatality still bothered her. Estonia had been a nation; a fully functioning nation. A personification with feelings. It bothered the English woman to no end. It made her realize that this was real, and everybody was subject to death.

"Look, I know that it's hard…it's hard on all of us; we don't know what the hell is going on." Alice looked back up at the Hungarian to see a gentle smile playing on her face, her eyes shimmering sadly. For some odd reason, a surge of comfort jolted through the British woman, making her exhale softly as her mind started to reflect on the night's events in a melancholic matter.

A hollow ache in her chest caused her to wince as she remembered looking at Arthur Kirkland, her own counterpart. It hurt to realize, that despite his state, he hurt for the same reasons that he did. Both of them had the exact same feelings of regret, pain, and sadness when they think about America. The thought of Alfred made her throat to close up slightly. Even if he wasn't Emily, he was still America. And America had revolted against England. Period. Alice sighed slowly and let her eyes close.

She could feel Elizaveta's eyes on her, but she knew that the woman wasn't staring at her with scrutiny. She was thankful for that. However, all she wanted was to be alone. Alone so that she could drown in her own thoughts…thoughts about nothing in particular. The only person she wanted to be with right now was… No…she wanted to be alone. Completely and utterly alone in the silence, here. She didn't want ANYONE to be with her right now.

"Well, I came in here with the purpose of seeing if you were awake and to feed you breakfast, but I see that you're not in the mood," Elizaveta said softly. Alice looked up at her again, her lips closed in a flat line. Before she could respond however, the door to her room opened.

The two girls turned their head to see who the intruder was. With a flip of her stomach, Alice saw Alfred F. Jones walking in, his blonde hair all ruffled, and his cerulean colored eyes wide as he stared at her. Alice quickly looked away, holding her breath.

"Alice! You're awake, man! I was freaking worried!" he exclaimed.

Alice scoffed slightly; he was such a child. He would always _be_ a child. However, she could still hear the genuine mixture of concern and relief in his voice. The English woman looked back up at Alfred with a look of slight disdain, but her head was swirling and her heart was hammering against her chest. He was shirtless, but he was heavily bandaged across the chest. His face bore a few scars here and there, and his skin seemed paler than usual, but otherwise, he seemed perfectly fine. At least both of his arms weren't broken.

"I'll leave you two alone; I need to make sure that Gilbert hasn't exploded the kitchen or something," Elizaveta said, flashing a slight wink in Alice's direction before heading out the door, leaving the breakfast tray on the bedside table.

There was a beat of silence as Alice gritted her teeth, remaining motionless on the bed. She heard his footsteps approaching slowly, however, until she could feel his looming presence hovering over her.

"I saw you, you know…fighting Iggy," he said. His voice was strange; it was low and quiet. It wasn't something that Alice was accustomed to, even in the short amount of time that she's known him personally.

"So?" she snapped, refusing to meet his eyes.

"You freaking saved my life, you know. No… you saved all of our lives. I just wanted to say thanks, man."

Alice dared herself to look at him again, and her heart nearly broke at the sight of his face. He was looking away from her, at the ground. His expression was one of pain, of complete heartbreak. Seeing Arthur Kirkland like that, the man he cared so much about, was too much for him. Hell, if it was too much for her, than she didn't even want to think about Alfred's feelings about the matter. She let out a small sigh.

"I'm sorry," she said a bit lamely. She didn't know what else to say. Alice, herself, wasn't one to express her feelings adequately.

"Just don't freaking do that again; you nearly gave me a heart attack. You're lucky that all you got were broken arms. Just saying," Alfred said, his voice a bit more harsh as his eyes met hers once again.

"Don't scold me, Alfred Jones," she immediately snapped, feeling irritation flare up within her. "I'm allowed to do what I want, when I want. If I feel the need to step up, then I will do so. You're not the only one who can be the hero, you know."

"But…"

"No buts, you insolent child. You can't always take the glory, alright? I don't give a damn if I scared you, because you know what? I felt the need to protect everyone. Hell, I was the only one who could do something in that bloody situation. And if another situation like that comes up and you're on your death bed, than like hell I'm going to just stand back and watch like the fucking, meek little girl you expect me to be. Grow up."

"Look…Alice…" "I made a promise to Emily a long time ago that I'd do anything to protect her. That applies to you as well; you're both America. I will, for as long as I live, defend your damn arse… you understand me?"

Alice didn't know where this sudden burst of emotion came from; it just flowed out of her like a monstrous waterfall. She couldn't help it. Hell, she didn't even plan on snapping at Alfred like that. However, she did. And she couldn't take the words back. And…she didn't want to.

There was another beat of silence, where Alice refused to look at Alfred. She kept her eyes on the ceiling as she laid there, motionless, a snarl still present on her face.

Then suddenly, he gave a small chuckle. A damn chuckle. Alice's head snapped in his direction, her glare still in place.

"What the bloody hell are you laughing for, you twat?"

The American gave a small shrug, a soft smile on his face as he reached out and grabbed a lock of her tangled, blonde hair, twirling it around his finger. "Your hair is like…fucking messed up man."

Alice bristled, feeling a blush coat her skin. "You have the nerve right now to criticize my hair? You are such a damn wanker."

"Hey, hey…chill out, babe. I'm just making an observation." He kept twirling the lock of her hair around his finger, a rather adorab…no IRRITATING smirk playing on his face.

"Well, go make observations somewhere else. I'm not in the mood at the moment," she spat. In all honesty, the last thing she wanted was for him to leave her right now.

"Nah, I like bugging you; you're way to entertaining," he said with another laugh. Alice blushed slightly in response, but she turned her head away once again in order to hide it. No, she would NOT give the bloody git the satisfaction of seeing her flustered.

After another moment of silence, Alfred sighed. "Look, Alice…I…" he took another breath, his hand now gently stroking her hair. "I really appreciate you wanting to protect me. Honestly…but… understand that it's just who I am…to be the hero, ya know?"

She held her breath, still refusing to meet his gaze. "Please, don't push me back if I try and defend you. I know you made a promise, but I'm going to make a promise right now…a promise that I should've made a long time ago to Arthur. I'm going to promise you instead, though. I promise…that I'll always try and protect you no matter what, just as you will try and protect me. There is no way in fucking hell I'm letting this go one-sided," he said, his voice defiant.

Alice looked at him once again, her mouth parted slightly, and her eyes wide. Maybe he was more grown up than she thought. He sure looked like it…with that determination, that fire in his eye, that willingness to risk his life for the protection of others.

"Hmm…" she responded softly, feeling her chest constrict slightly. "Maybe you really are a hero. But you have yet to convince me, idiot."

He smirked widely, his blue eyes searing into hers. "Oh trust me, sweetheart. I will."


	10. What if I die?

Meg dipped her toes into the running stream, resisting the urge to squeal at the rather low temperature. Instead, she gritted her teeth, and kept submerged under the liquid, eventually adapting to the frostiness of the water. It helped that the bright sun was beating down on her back; she would probably get sunburn later. Her skin had never adapted to the sun. Unlike her sister Emily, who would tan in the summer, Meg would have to put copious amounts of sunscreen on to prevent herself from turning into a fried tomato.

A lump formed in the young Canadian's throat at the thought of her sister. Emily wasn't here right now. No. She was on the other side. She wasn't herself. She was one of _them_… those evil soulless beings who have no hesitation to kill just for the sake of killing. The thought made her feel absolutely nauseous. She had seen what they were like…those two Italians, then Alice's male counterpart. Evil. Pure evil.

Meg took a shaky breath, running her hand through her thick mass of tangled blonde hair. She frowned slightly; she desperately wished that she had an adequate brush. Her hair was one of those mysterious, frightening entities that never wanted to obey anyone or anything. Elizaveta had attempted to brush it out for her this morning, but to no avail. Meg was fond of the Hungarian woman; she had never talked to Daniel before, but if Elizaveta is this nice, than he must be pretty kind as well.

The Canadian's feet were now comfortably numb as she leaned back on her elbows, closed her eyes, and breathed in slowly, trying to clear her head. The last few days have been… chaotic to say the least. And scary. Extremely scary. She may have been unconscious for a lot of it, but there were these pockets of time where she'd be able to hear things, feel the burning pain that her body was experiencing…before slipping into darkness once again.

And now, here she was. In a strange world, surrounded by various gender-flips of fellow nations, and living with the constant threat of being demolished by evil beings…beings that happen to be other fellow nations. Including her own /sister./ Meg wondered if Francoise was either here somewhere, or lurking on the other side like Emily. The thought of the French woman made her stomach clench painfully; the thought of her as a lifeless, evil creature made her want to throw up. Her sister was bad enough.

They had already lost someone. A fellow nation had already passed, and it bothered Meg to no end. When she heard the news that Estonia had died, she cried. She spent the majority of the night comforting the other two sisters, unsure of what to say to them. So instead, she just let the tears fall as she held them each in turn, letting them sob into her shoulders. Meg couldn't begin to imagine the pain that they were feeling; if she lost Emily, Francoise, or Alice, she wouldn't know what to do with herself. No, she never wanted to find herself in that situation. She didn't want to see one of her loved ones go.

When Meg saw Estonia's motionless, breathless body… when she heard Elena scream in despair, the Canadian had made a promise to herself. She wouldn't let anyone go. No. Not before she got the hit first. After all, Meg knew that she couldn't do much else. She wasn't too skilled in combat, nor did she provide any useful information or tips for sustenance. She is the self-proclaimed sacrifice.

Meg knew that if she told Alice, Alfred, Gilbert, or any of them this, they would give her hell for it. As much as she appreciated the concern, the Canadian was sick of feeling useless. She wanted to be able to do something.

Before she could process another thought, she heard a voice right behind her.

"What are you doing out here by yourself, birdie?"

The Canadian immediately blushed at the voice. Of course it was Gilbert. She honestly did not understand why he seemed so taken with her ever since she met him. He was _always_ there, wanting to carry her when she was tired, attempting to be her protector, acting so gentle around her while being so rash around everyone else… and then that nick name. Right off the bat, he had started calling her birdie. She never asked why he did so; she just let herself accept the name. Plus, it wasn't like Meg was complaining or anything. In all honesty, she found it adorable.

She remained still as Gilbert plopped himself beside Meg. He bent his knees toward his chest and leaned back, resting on his elbows. Meg glanced at him and blushed even more as she realized how handsome he looked under the glow of the sun. He frowned slightly.

"ScheiBe, sun isn't really my thing," he said before giving her a small grin. "Albinos and sunlight don't mix well."

Meg smiled shyly in return before turning to look back at the flowing water. She started absent-mindedly twirling a lock of her hair around her finger.

"I'm just thinking," she answered in a quiet voice, her eyes fixed on the way the clear substance seemed to just cascade gently over the rocks.

"Oh really? Care to enlighten me?" he asked, his voice taking on a teasing tone, causing the Canadian's soft grin to widen.

"Nothing exciting really. Just about…you know…all that's happened."

Her voice seemed grow a bit more grave at the last few words as the events played out in her mind again. So much has happened to her… so much change, damage, chaos… she was surprised that she was still here, sane and almost one hundred percent healthy.

Maybe it was the nation in her. All nations had been through hell and back at some point during their existences. But Meg also knew that nationhood didn't apply here. She was just as human as everyone else…as the local thief, as the small child playing in the woods, as the ailing mother, as the hard-working father.

Gilbert was silent for a moment before he let out a breath as well. "You are alright, ja?"

"Yes," she answered with a small laugh. "I'm perfectly fine…you know…"

She looked at him straight in the face, her eyes twinkling. "I'm not as fragile as you think I am, Gilbert. I mean…I may not be the strongest…and hell…I'm definitely not the biggest person around… but I know how to hold my ground."

The albino stared at her for another moment, his red eyes boring into hers, before he gave a slight nod, looking away, a small smirk playing on his lips. "I know you can…even though out of all of us, you have been the one to collapse first."

"I know that I have yet to prove myself," Meg continued calmly as she started to fidget her fingers nervously. "But well… I…"

She took another breath, wondering why she had decided to say this now of all times; she hadn't really been thinking about this much in the first place.

"I do have my uses, you know? When the time comes for me to be of assistance, I won't hesitate." She swallowed before staring back at the creek, her eyes seeming to calculate every particle of water that moved over the rocks. "I've always been rather quiet… and when I do speak up, no one seems to hear me because I've let myself be overshadowed by louder people. Sometimes, I feel like that I disappear… I don't want to disappear… and I don't plan to. I know…well… I know this sounds sort of funny… but I _know _that I will be needed eventually."

A beat of silence passed between them, and Meg's mind was racing as the blood started to flood her cheeks. She felt rather ridiculous for blatantly speaking her mind to Gilbert…a man that she didn't know very well. But in a way, she was glad that she had voiced her own opinion…and that someone had taken the time to actually listen to it.

"I know how that feels, you know… feeling as if you're going to disappear..." he said, his voice low.

Meg turned her head to look at him; he was staring forward, his eyes unreadable. She kept her mouth shut.

"When I lost my nationhood, I got so sick. I sincerely thought that I was going to die…and you know… everyone thought that I _would _legitimately disappear. But I didn't…" He gave a small snicker. "I'm too awesome to disappear."

He ran a hand through his hair a bit uneasily. "But it was hard. I was so afraid that I would just vanish one day. My country was gone…everything was gone. I had to live in _mein bruder's_ basement… and I felt like nobody cared for me anymore because I was no longer significant. I didn't want people to forget about me, so I decided to be as loud as possible…to ensure that people knew that I was _still _there, and that I _wasn't _useless."

The Canadian bit her bottom lip, feeling the urge to say something; anything that would act as a form of reassurance. However, she had nothing. Meg cursed herself inwardly; she _never _knew the right thing to say.

Gilbert gave a small chuckle; it was soft and light, a sound not usual for him. The Albino grinned at Meg… a genuine smile that was devoid of deviousness, of a hidden smirk. Meg was taken aback by the sudden facial expression, her eyes widening in slight confusion and her heart hammering against her chest.

"Uhh…"

"I like you, you know."

Meg tilted her head to the side. The way he had said it…so casually, so confidently.

"T-Thanks…I guess."

"Unlike most people, you actually listen to me. People say that they listen to me, but I can tell they really don't," he clarified, turning his head to look back at the flowing water.

Meg's expression softened at his words. She looked down at her hands again, trying desperately to find the right words to say. Maybe…maybe there weren't right words to say. Maybe the Canadian was at her best when silent.

She let her eyes flutter to a close as she inhaled deeply, her lungs expanding richly with the fresh air. This wasn't too bad; here, in this moment, just sitting by the creek, at peace. She knew that it wouldn't last, that there were more horrors to behold…but she knew that this was the best that she was going to get.

Gilbert let out a small chuckle, a chuckle that caused Meg's eyes to open as she gazed curiously at him. He was still facing forward, a small trace of a smile playing on his lips, his red eyes still staring forward.

"You don't talk much, do you?" he asked, his voice soft, but full of light humor.

Meg blinked a few times, feeling her cheeks redden even more. She opened her mouth to respond, but then closed it, feeling that her voice would crack if she talked. After a few more seconds, she shook herself mentally and responded.

"….No."

"Do you not talk because you don't want to, or because you don't have the chance to?"

He was looking at her now, the smile still prevalent on his lips. His crimson eyes were twinkling merrily, and the sun seemed to bounce off of his snow-white hair, illuminating him, causing the Canadian's heart beat to quicken.

She thought about his question. The answer was a bit of both. Meg was a painfully shy person that preferred reflection rather than vocalization. However, she still wanted to be heard. It's just...her voice was way too quiet. No one took the time to actually shut their mouth and realize that someone else was trying to speak, to contribute to the matter.

It was only in the stillness, in the silence...that she could hear herself. That there was the possibility that someone else would hear her as well.

"…Both," Meg answered with a sigh. "I…well… I'm sort of nervous about talking to others to begin with, but when I do have something say, no one ever listens. They're all…all…" She frowned in slight irritation. "So _loud." _

She could feel Gilbert's eyes on her as she continued to stare forward, her eyes trained on nothing in particular, a trail of heat prickling up the skin on her neck. Nervously, she wiped her nose and snuck a glance in his direction.

"Kesesese," he snickered. "You're cute, birdie."

Meg rose an eyebrow at the comment.

"Look," he said, his tone becoming soft once again. "I don't think you're useless. I also think that what you have to say is very important. So… if you feel like you're being ignored or…shunned… just…well…"

He shot her a shy grin. "Just come to me and tell me everything. You listen to me, I'll listen to you. We got a deal, right, birdie?"

The Canadian's eyes widened as she stared at him, her heart now thundering against her chest as she took in his carefree, crooked grin, his confident demeanor, the deviousness mixed with sincerity present in his crimson eyes…

"Uh…why do you call me birdie?"

It was the only question that could form on her lips. Her cheeks flushed as soon as the words left her mouth. He had just told her that she could confide in him, and she asked him why he calls her birdie? She felt like smacking herself.

However, Gilbert just chuckled. "You remind me of my yellow canary Gilbird. You two are both very precious and cute; don't tell anybody that I admitted that. The awesome me doesn't use those words very often…so you better feel special."

With her cheeks on fire, Meg immediately looked away, a small nervous smile creeping onto her lips. What was she supposed to say to something like that? The Canadian felt a flutter of appreciation at his words as it all sank in. She was being offered someone to confide in, someone to talk to. Yes, she had gotten that with America and England, but rarely has she been able to truly talk to them… they never listen.

However, before she could respond to his words, or express her gratitude, she heard a voice calling from back at the house.

"Meg! Beilschmidt! Get back in here!"

Both their heads snapped around to see Elizaveta standing at the doorway of the house, still wearing an apron, a fiery, yet exhausted smile playing on her lips. She must've been up all night tending to the injured and comforting the distraught Baltics.

Meg and Gilbert exchanged a look before getting to their feet.

"We better not piss off the man-bitch," the albino said with a joking snicker that caused Meg to chuckle as well.

The two headed back toward the house swiftly, smiles both playing on their lips. However, before the Canadian could truly squeeze past Elizaveta, she felt the Hungarian nudge her gently in the shoulder. Meg looked up into the other's green eyes curiously. Elizaveta gave a slight smirk and winked before taking a few steps back to let her through. Meg blushed slightly at the implication and ran her hand through her sandy blonde hair as she walked through the door way.

The interior of the house was small, but it was cozy; the light from the wide windows streamed in, bathing the small, compacted space in a warm, rich light. There were various household items everywhere, rusted pots and pans hanging from the ceiling, and pieces of cloth draped over the sill of the windows. There were two stools propped up near the center of the room, where both Antonio and Katarina sat, their faces abnormally pale, their bodies draped in blankets.

Antonio's eyes were trained on the floor, his green eyes eerily expressionless. Katarina's expression was a subtle mix between a frown and a grimace as her eyes shot up to acknowledge both Gilbert and Meg. She gave a curt nod before saying, "Elena and Aisma are still outside. I don't think they're coming in anytime soon."

At the statement, Meg's stomach immediately dropped once more. Being reminded that Leena von Bock had died, actually died sent another chill through her body. She felt her eyes tear up like they did when she heard the news. Quickly wiping her eyes, the Canadian nodded to express her acknowledgement. She cast a quick glance at Gilbert. He looked genuinely concerned, but not devastated. She could understand why; he didn't know LeenaThe Baltics that he knew were all males. And they were most likely still alive…even if they were on the other side.

"Once everybody has woken up, I guess we're going to give a proper goodbye to her…whatever that means," grumbled Katarina, now looking down at the floor as well, her expression mirroring Antonio's. "And then Elizaveta said that we're going to have to leave as soon as possible if we want to get to Chikasti, despite the injuries."

"How are you doing?" Meg asked softly, taking a few steps toward the Southern Italian. She had helped Elizaveta tend to an unconscious Katarina earlier this morning. At first sight, she was horrified that she wouldn't be able to make it through the night.

Katarina winced slightly and shrugged, scowling. "I'm fine. Just a bit sore."

"Is it alright if I have a look?" Meg pressed gently.

The Italian looked like she wanted nothing more than to snap in response, but after a frustrated sigh, she relented and let the blanket fall. She wasn't wearing a shirt, but the whole upper half of her body, including parts of her arms, were tightly bandaged with gauze like material. However, Meg could still see that blood was seeping through the material. Due to the paleness of Katarina's face, the Canadian could tell that she was still hurting.

"You need more medicine…and some new bandages," Meg stated.

Gilbert remained silent at her side, looking at the Southern Italian with wide eyes. Antonio's eyes were still on the floor, his hands wrapping his own blanket more tightly around him.

Katarina cursed under her breath before glaring at her feet. "I'm fucking fine. Just leave me the hell alone."

"But…"

"Fuck off."

Meg's mouth snapped shut at the Southern Italian's demand. With a small sigh, the Canadian nodded. "Alright, but if you need anything, just tell me or Elizaveta, alright? It wouldn't be in your best interests to travel if you're injured like this."

Katarina grunted slightly, avoiding Meg's eyes as she shifted her body so that she was facing away from her. The Canadian gave Antonio one last glance, gulping at how ghosted over his face was before sighing and turning on her heel, turning left so that she could make her way to another one of the rooms.

She stumbled upon the room that Alice happened to be staying in. Meg cringed slightly at the sight of the resting English woman, who had her head propped against the three large pillows, both of her arms bound with copious amounts of gauze. Her blonde hair was a complete mess, and despite the fact that she seemed to be absolutely still, her green eyes were wide open and her chest was rising and falling with each breath that she took.

However, she noticed that at the foot of her bed, was Alfred, his head lying on the edge, his body slumped over, and his eyes closed. His steady breathing was almost a comfort for Meg, to realize that there were people here who were still alive.

Stepping inside quietly, she wondered if she would go unnoticed. It wouldn't be the first time that she entered a room without being acknowledged.

Alice, however, turned her head upon the first small step. Her eyes studied Meg for a second before a weary smile made its way onto her lips.

"Good day, Meg. I'm glad to see that you are on your feet, unlike some of us here," she stated.

The Canadian nodded in response, taking another step forward. "I see that Alfred crashed," she remarked lamely.

"Ah, yes. Quite the wanker he is," she said with a chuckle, a look of tenderness on her face as she looked upon the American. "A bit too rambunctious if you ask me. He's actually quite adorable when he's asleep and quiet like this."

Meg smiled slightly. She examined Alice fully, her heart starting to throb. Looking at her made her realize just how much she missed Francoise. The French woman was technically her mother. The person that was always there for her, always stroked her hair when she cried, actually noticed her more than the others did.

Alice, though not as close, was also a motherly figure. There had been times where the woman had taken care of her when she was sick, upset, or in pain. Even though, as a child, when Alice had driven Francoise away from Meg, the Canadian still grew to appreciate her. She had the privilege of saying that she had a family; Francoise, Alice, and Emily were her family. They were her everything, even if they did not get along half of the time.

But now, it was all torn apart.

Emily was now a heartless, blood-thirsty creature, and Francoise was missing.

It was just she and Alice now.

Though she had to admit that even if Alfred wasn't Emily, it was still like having her sibling with her. It filled the temporary void in her heart.

And she could sympathize with the American. He had lost his England. He had lost Arthur Kirkland, _and _his brother Matthew Williams. All he had now were Alice and Meg.

And that could easily be taken away as well. Now that they were mortal, they were constantly at death's doorstep. One mistake, one slip, and they'd be tumbling down. Vanishing forever.

Gone.

"Alice…" Meg started, a lump forming in her throat.

"Yes?"

"If I died, you'd still remember, wouldn't you?"

"…Now why the bloody hell would you ask a question like that?"

"I just… well… it can happen, you know? We're mortal here."

"Meg Williams, do not talk of such things. We will figure this out. I will be there for you, and in Francoise's honor, I will protect you with my life," the Englishwoman responded, a stubborn scowl on her face.

"Look at you!" Meg burst out, tears forming in her eyes as she thrusted her arms out. "Look how injured you are!"

"I'll be well in about an hour. This universe has a concoction that is reconnecting my bones…"

"No. Shut it," Meg snapped. "You were so close to dying, Alice. So was everyone else. Alfred here, could've died. Katarina and Antonio were both injured very badly. Leena von Bock _died. _She's gone, Alice. _Gone! _Promises may be nice and endearing, but they aren't going to help anything. We could die. Me, you, everybody. And then, we'd be gone."

She quickly wiped away at the tears that were spilling down her cheeks.

A beat of silence passed between them, broken only by the subtle sound of Alfred's breathing. Meg didn't dare look into Alice's face; she didn't want to see anger, agitation, frustration, or sadness there.

However, before the Englishwoman could say anything, the door opened once more and in stepped Elizaveta, a grim expression on her face.

"It's time to go outside; we are going to pay respects to the middle Baltic. Alice, if you feel like you are capable of moving, you may come as well."

XX

The day seemed to be coming to an end, yet the sun was still high in the sky. Even the wind seemed to still itself out of respect.

The morbid sense of dread hung over every single person standing in the middle of the small meadow by the stream; even though some of the nations didn't know little Leena von Bock, personification of Estonia very well, they couldn't help but wipe away a few stray tears.

They had lost a fellow nation.

Something they never thought could happen.

Yet, there she was, lying on a smooth, wooden platform, which sat perched in the middle of the lush green grass. Her face was as white as marble, her eyes closed, her lips pale and stiff. She almost looked like a statue; a peacefully sleeping statue.

The two other sisters and Elizaveta had prepped her for the farewell service; her long blonde hair was neat and combed, decorated with a plethora of pink and white flowers, she was wearing a long, thin, silky white gown, which traveled down the length of her slender body… oh how beautiful she looked. Her thick wounds had been drained and cleaned, leaving only thick, welts all across her chest and abdomen, which were covered by the white cloth.

The whole platform was surrounded by a myriad of flowers, matching the ones in her hair. She looked sacred, heavenly, like a goddess.

Elena Laurinaitis couldn't help but wonder if her sister would go somewhere. Do nations go to heaven and hell as well? Her sister had been a genuinely good person, right? Yes, she had blood on her hands, but that came with being a nation, right? Surely God couldn't punish her for that.

The youngest, Aisma Galante, was still in denial. Surely her sister would wake up eventually, right? How could someone like Leena die? The one who stroked her hair in the middle of the night when she started crying? The one who held her and cried with her when they were hearing Anya punishing Elena in the other room? The one who used to play with her hair and sing her lullabies when she couldn't sleep?

Leena had always been there.

But now, she was gone.

That just couldn't be right.

There were really no words to say.

The silence was enough.

Meg felt a strange coldness within her as she observed the scene before her, saw the beautiful girl upon the platform. What if that had been her there? She had come so close to it, hadn't she? What if Leena had lived, and Meg was the one being dressed in flowers while everyone bowed their heads?

Would Alice be the one at the foot of the platform, bawling her eyes out? If Francoise and Emily were here, surely they would cry for her as well, right?

Without another word, Elizaveta stepped forward, a stoic expression on her face as she pulled out a pack of matches she had bought from the market just east of here, struck one, took a deep breath, and lit the platform on fire.

Immediately, the whole thing went up in flames. The flowers, the wood, the body. All you could see was the gentle silhouette of a once-living nation being consumed by the bright fire, sparks flying up to the heavens, smoke ghosting up and up and up.

The crackling of the fire made Meg wince, yet she kept her eyes forward. If that were her, it would be because she made a sacrifice to save someone else. It would be because she had tried to make herself useful, right?

Elena backed up a few steps, her hand in Aisma's.

To everyone's surprise, she started to sing… something so beautiful… so haunting… something that stirred deep within the Canadian's soul.

_Viire takka tulevad kolm  
>meresõidu masinat. Neil<br>kõigil suitsutorud pääl, vaat  
>kolm suurt laeva seisvad sääl.<br>Päev ju jõudnud õhtule, seab  
>meri ka end unele.<br>Vaiksemaks jääb vetevoog ja  
>tasa kõigub pilliroog.<em>

Viire takka tulevad ka  
>unetuuled mõnusad; kui<br>katab tuuletiivake, siis  
>suiguteleb silmake.<br>Päev ju jõudnud õhtule, seab  
>meri ka end unele.<br>Laev las hällib lainetes ja  
>lapsukene hällis sees.<p>

Though she didn't understand what the words meant, she knew that there was a deep connection between that song and Leena von Bock.

Meg watched the two remaining Baltics, still…immersed by the sight of their sister going up into flame.

And the thoughts came back again. The rush of questions she never thought she would ever have to worry about.

What would happen if I died?

Would I decay like a normal human's body?

Would I fade away?

Would I be remembered?

Forgotten?

Would it really matter?

Would people care?

Would people cry?

Would I be able to feel when I die?

Is there a heaven?

Is there a hell?

Will I be punished for my sins?

Will I see them ever again?

What happens? What happens when I _die?_


	11. Cat and Mouse

They were on the move again.

In reality, they didn't have a choice. No matter how many tears shed, hearts broken, minds forever scarred, they had to keep moving forward. A feeling of dread hung heavy over the group of nations as they freshened up, packed their belongings, and started heading out.

Though all of the injured were still sore, every movement causing them to wince in pain, they still understood that staying there wouldn't do them any good. Wipe away the tears, take a deep breath, and walk. Walk. Walk. Walk.

No looking back. Because if they looked back, all they would see is the leftover remnants of the smoke still floating in the air like a stubborn wraith, reminding them all that a fellow nation had just died, and that they had to burn the body.

Leena von Bock was gone.

Gone.

As Elena walked somberly through the tall, grassy field, the sound of the rushing water lapping over the stones, she ran this statement through her mind over and over again. But for some reason, it didn't seem to stick. It was as if she was both physically and mentally refusing to accept the fact that her sister was dead. Nothing but ashes scattered in the wind.

It just didn't make sense. Elena had tried so hard to heal Leena. Yes, her injuries were severe. Yes, the blood wouldn't stop spilling. The Lithuanian couldn't think of a time where she had seen so much blood spill from one small girl. And that was saying something; Elena had fought wars, seen death, thrusted the sword to take one's life.

But to see her own sister, suffering, shaking, barely conscious, the scarlet constantly flowing from her wounds…

It was far too much.

And…and… Elena couldn't think of a time where her healing abilities had failed her. She had always managed to ease the pain, patch up the wounds, stop the bleeding. Hell, she managed to save the Canadian when she was on the brink of death.

So, why couldn't she save Leena?

Elena's eyes were surprisingly dry. She had shed a minimal amount of tears in comparison to Aisma, who was still sobbing uncontrollably as she walked blindly, the fifteen year old girl fruitlessly attempting to wipe away the stream of tears that were spilling from her eyes. The Lithuanian turned her head slightly to look at her remaining sister, her expression blank and her chest hollow.

Everything was eerily silent apart from the rustling of the wind against the grass, the subtle sound of shuffling feet, and Aisma's constant sniffles.

Elena knew sadness, but grief was a whole different thing. Why wasn't she sobbing her eyes out?

And…maybe it was the fact that she had absolutely no one to turn to.

As much as she feared her, Elena knew that Anya was the only one she would turn to during a situation like this. Though frightening, occasionally cold-hearted, and cruel, the Russian was like a mother to her. Elena knew that Anya would have no qualms against taking her in her arms just for the sake of holding her. And then maybe…just maybe…Elena could cry freely without a care in the world.

But she couldn't do that.

Anya wasn't here.

No, instead, there was Ivan Braginski. That tall, Russian stranger that frightened her to no end. Yes, he was A LOT like Anya, but he just wasn't her. She could never turn to him and cry on his shoulder, mimic the same bond with him that she had with Anya. Just looking at him reminded her that a lot of the people she has grown to know, and maybe even love, are on the other side of that cursed bridge, doing who the hell knows what.

At this point, Elena didn't care. She was just going along with whatever the rest of the group was doing. They were going to Chikasti to find China? So be it. She didn't see how it could help anything anymore. Her sister is dead. Half of the nations are evil, soulless wraiths. They could die at any second due to the fact that they were weak and _mortal. _

But Elena wasn't one to tear down another's hopes. If the others believed that there was still a chance that they could solve this monster of a predicament, then she would let them believe that. Her mouth would remain shut.

How long have they been walking now? The Lithuanian's mind was numb… so numb that she had lost track of time. She couldn't even properly register the fact that every single part of her body was aching. Though Elizaveta did a good job with bandaging her chest and arms, they still throbbed like no other. At least she had managed to staunch the bleeding.

Looking up at the sky, she saw that it was getting close to evening. The sun was starting to dip below the horizon, and the color of the heavens was changing from baby blue to a maroon color. Thankfully, Elena could spot the lights of a small village not far off. They should be able to reach it and find a place to stay before the sky got dark and those…_things _came out again.

Elena's blank eyes ghosted to her left, drinking in the sight of Nikolai not even two feet away from her. At least he was here. The Lithuanian knew that she shouldn't be finding any sort of comfort in that fact, but she did. She had always harbored a fondness for the cold, sadistic nation. Blinking a few times, her mind started to wander.

This had to be the only time that Nikolai ever tolerated her being this close to him without threatening to break her legs and fingers.

This was the first time that she had walked alongside him in complete, almost peaceful silence. There was no bitterness or disgust emanating from his being.

There was nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Maybe the shock of losing a fellow nation was enough to eliminate the hostility between the countries. After all, they weren't countries anymore in this twisted universe, right? Her eyes remained on him, drinking in his cold, icy features, his piercing eyes, his tall frame… Usually, the man was layered with so many barriers. However, Elena felt as if she were seeing him for the first time. As a human.

With a sharp turn of his head, Nikolai's gaze shifted toward her. The Lithuanian quickly looked down at the ground, reaching out for her sister's hand and squeezing it tight. To her relief, her small show of affection seemed to calm the Latvian's sobbing. However, she could still sense the Belarusian's sharp stare.

The group finally reached the village; to Elena's relief, it seemed to be a quaint, homely little place… old fashioned really. It reminded her of the small country towns back home. Her heart immediately swelled with a mixture of nostalgia and dull sadness as she thought of her homeland. Oh, how she wished to return to Lithuania.

How she wished to close her eyes and breathe properly again.

Elizaveta led the way. Despite the woman's small frame, Elena had to admit that she felt a sense of protection in being behind her. She had always admired Daniel and his charismatic strength back in the early centuries. Even though they were different people, she received the same vibe from this Hungarian woman.

The houses were all short and stout, with wooden doors, stone foundations, and thatched roofs. Though the village seemed to have the potential to be lively and active, the speedy lowering of the sun had definitely caused many of the families to stay within the protection of their houses. Elena even noticed that all of the doors were marked with thick streaks of dark pig's blood.

"We need to find the main building of residence," Elizaveta clarified, a determined look on her face her eyes studied the horizon. "The sun's going down; we don't have much time."

"Well, that much is obvious," grumbled Gilbert, who received a sharp look of distaste from the Hungarian.

"Shut the hell up. I wasn't asking for your input," Elizaveta snapped before quickly facing forward again, her steps quickening. Elena couldn't help but note that her fiery nature made her think of a vicious lion… and the way that she stood before them… it was almost like a mother protecting her cubs. It made the Lithuanian feel both grateful and worthless. She wished that she could give off that strong vibe, that determined, edgy charisma.

"Uh… doesn't that building look a bit… 'residence'-y to you?" Alfred asked as he pointed to a taller stone building. Though the door was shut with the infamous streaks of blood coating its surface, and the windows were all covered, the sound of muffled booming laughter floated toward the group.

"Si, Alfred's right!" chimed Daisy, her right arm wrapped around Ludwig's. "I bet you that if we ask nicely, we'll be able to get a few rooms to spend the night!"

"Che palle! Why the fucking hell are we just standing around for then? MOVE IT!" Katarina snapped, her hazel eyes glowing with an unquenchable, flaming fire, despite the fact that her skin was abnormally pale, and the scars on her face were still fresh in comparison to the other's injuries. Though he preferred not to say it out loud, Antonio did harbor a deep concern for her physical well-being. The sooner she could lie down and rest, the better.

Everybody immediately started to move upon the Southern Italian's demand, even though she wasn't the one to be calling the shots. Maybe it was common sense… or just how forceful Katarina had sounded. It didn't really matter either way.

Once they reached the building, Elizaveta placed her hand on the handle and, to her relief, it opened without protest, the wood creaking loudly. The group was immediately greeted by the sound of booming laughter and incessant talking. The smell of fresh wood, cigars, and cinnamon flooded their nostrils as they stared into a surprisingly vast room filled with people.

Their eyes widened slightly at such a friendly sight; maybe the idea of jolly happiness seemed so improper to them after they had just endured several hours of pain and grief. Clearing her throat, Elizaveta walked forward, the group trailing after her, the men keeping their backs straight, and the women doing their best to keep their defensive front.

The funny thing was, they didn't attract any eyes… maybe a glance here or there, but it was as if a large parading group of injured people was a normal thing to these individuals. Hell, maybe it was, given the circumstances that they had to live in. Alice took a deep breath, her head already aching from the constant chatter, laughter, and clanking of class that surrounded her.

In all honesty, one wouldn't be able to make out the general appearance of the room. It was jam-packed. Completely jam-packed. Elizaveta narrowed her eyes as she looked around, trying to determine whether there way anybody she could talk to about staying here. However, the more she observed the scene, the more she realized just how disorganized of a place this was. She was beginning to believe that they could get away with just crashing here for a night. Nobody seemed to pay them any attention anyways.

Turning toward the group of "former" nations, she raised her voice so that she could be heard over the booming noises around them. "We're staying here, tonight. I know it's a bit much, but we really have no choice."

Elena felt her heart drop at the statement. She wasn't sure if she could handle this or not; she had just lost her sister, and her head was throbbing. She wasn't necessarily in the mood to sit around and watch other people get fucking drunk off their asses.

Gilbert, on the other hand, shrugged, a slightly sour expression on his face. "Fine. West? Come on. Since we're here, we might as well get something to drink." With that, the former ex-nation pushed past the Hungarian (who sent him a glare), and disappeared amongst the crowd. Ludwig, in turn sighed, looked down at Daisy, who nodded somberly, and the two took after him.

With part of the group already minding their own business, the Hungarian wilted ever so slightly as a sigh escaped her lips. "Well, we might as well do our own thing while we're here. Drink, for all I care. It may be the only night of indulgence we'll get." Saying that, Elizaveta turned her back on the group and disappeared as well.

Clutching onto Aisma's hand, Elena started to walk off as well. However, she kept her eyes on the still sniffling girl; she didn't want to lose her fifteen year old sister in a crowd this wild. Pushing past drunkards, costumed women, smokers, and other ridiculous looking people carrying heaping amounts of food and drink, The Lithuanian really had no place in mind. In all honesty, she just wanted to find some sort of relief… whether that was through drinking unhealthy amounts of alcohol, or by just passing out in the middle of the floor, or dying… whatever.

However, when Elena turned her head to check up on her sister, she saw that Aisma was missing. What the—

The Lithuanian paused, her heart falling into the pit of her stomach. Shit.

"Aisma?" she called out, though to no avail… her voice was too weak, easily overpowered by the shrieking laughs of the people. Taking a few deep breaths, she attempted to back track, but found herself being pushed backwards, forwards, sideways… Dear God… how could a place be so fucking packed?

Alright, don't panic, Elena. Aisma will be fine. She's a smart girl and she knows how to take care of herself. She may be only fifteen in human years, and she may be extremely small, but she's seen and experienced enough to know what to do when need be. Just take a deep breath and calm down. After a moment of calming her wild nerves, the Lithuanian ran a hand warily through her hair before taking a few steps forward with absolutely no sense of proper direction. It didn't really matter; just as long as she wasn't outside, right?

She pushed through the crowd of people, mentally noting just how ridiculous this was. How could all these people be enjoying themselves when they lived in a world of grief, constant fear, and suffering? How could they just…just lock themselves up in a large house and indulge in sinful amounts of alcohol and food while chaos reigned outside? In a way, it made her feel nauseous. And angry.

But this was the world she had to live in for now. She had to deal with the hindrances in order to work with the others and find a way back home.

Much to her relief, Elena stumbled upon a fairly empty room… it looked more like a deserted hallway than anything to be honest. And the Lithuanian immediately understood why the others avoided it. The large open windows were heavily boarded up, but if one were to stand too close, the sounds of the damned wailing from outside could be heard.

Yet, Elena knew that she was safe in this building. And this hallway offered her solace from the large claustrophobic crowd of drunkards. Leaning against the wall near one of the windows, she slid down against the smooth stone, sitting on the ground, bringing her knees up to her chest. Hugging her legs, Elena closed her eyes and allowed herself to grieve in her personal silence.

She was stuck in this foreign, wretched world. Some of the other nations have been thrown to the other side, only to be replaced with opposite gender versions of themselves, and now… her sister… her sister was dead. Leena was gone. Forever.

How could that be possible? Just a few days ago, they were both exchanging a private joke after a world conference meeting. Where is she now?

Did she go to heaven?

Do nations go to heaven?

They weren't even nations anymore, were they?

Letting out a shaky, breath, Elena opened her eyes, wishing that she could've woken up from a horrible dream.

"Escaped, did you? Fucking little runt."

Though the icy voice usually caused a shiver of both excitement and fear to travel down her spine, Elena was surprised to feel raw relief mixed with a strange sense of comfort fill her insides.

At least Nikolai hadn't changed.

He was still here, leaning against the opposite wall, silvery hair falling into his brooding, piercing eyes, arms crossed sulkily, his whole body reverberating with a frigid aura.

Elena stared at him for a good ten seconds before looking down at the floor, moving her shoulders up in a small shrug… her usual response when dealing with someone as ruthless as Nikolai.

A humorless laugh escaped the Belarusian's lips, causing the Lithuanian to look up in slight bewilderment. Once he recovered, he tilted his head ever so slightly, regarding Elena with those sharp, enticing eyes of his. "You never could fucking speak to me coherently, could you?"

"I…" Elena started, feeling a sudden urge to defend herself.

"Who said that I was done speaking?" he cut her off dangerously, the cold smile slipping from his lips. Immediately, Elena shut her mouth, looking back down at the ground, hugging her legs closer to her chest.

After a painful moment of silence, Nikolai spoke up again.

"I guess I don't have a right to speak to you like that, do I? We're humans, now. Sniveling mortals," he spat venomously. However, Elena could detect a small hint of sadness coating his words.

That didn't stop her from speaking up, her voice holding an uncharacteristically snappy tone.

"You never had a right to talk to me the way you did, Nikolai. Nation or human, you don't treat another person like that. You… you had no special status or…or authority over me. You had no right to bring the knife out and hurt me like you did so many times, but you did anyways, and…"

"But you let me. If you believed I didn't have that right, then you should've done something about it," he cut her off smoothly. "It may not have worked, but at least some self-dignity would have been displayed. I will be honest with you, Lithuanian. I have never seen you do anything for yourself. It's fucking pathetic. When will you ever grow a backbone?"

Elena deflated at his words because she knew that he was right. Running a hand through her hair, she let out a shaky breath as she reflected on his words. She had never done anything for herself. She had done things for her nation, followed her boss's orders, let others push her around, and constantly took the heat for the sake of sparing her sisters.

But as an individual, she had never been a fighter. She fought for other people. She fought for causes that weren't hers.

When had she ever fought for Elena?

Gritting her teeth, the Lithuanian got to her feet, her eyes fixated on the considerably taller man standing opposite her.

Before she could even consider the possible consequences of her actions, she closed the space between she and Nikolai before letting her hand make harsh contact with his cheek. The harsh slap echoed through the hallway, a ringing silence reverberating through the thick air.

His head snapped to the left with the blow, a brief look of disbelief clouding his features.

With the adrenaline still coursing through her veins, Elena pressed her index finger against his firm chest. "I should have done that a long time ago. Actually, since we're mortal, I should take this opportunity to finish you off. I would be a lot more merciful than you ever were to me. Contrary to what you believe, I am quite efficient with a knife. However…"

Pausing for a brief second, she took a deep breath to recover, digging her index finger into the other's chest.

"To do so would be pointless. We're all stuck here, aren't we? To off another would only bring more grief, and I would have to live with the consequences of my selfish act. My sister is gone, Nikolai. Surely that affects you too… to see a fellow nation pass right before your eyes. That could have easily been Anya. Luckily for you, it was just that 'stupid, useless /fucking/ Baltic sister.'"

Despite the fact that she felt the lump form in her throat, she continued on, her eyes stinging with unshed tears, never breaking her intense stare down of the frigidly lethal Belarusian.

"I loved you," she stated point-blank. "I loved you even though you fucking mutilated me both physically and emotionally. I don't even understand why I did, but I did, alright? And I know that you knew how I felt. You abused that fact. Actually, to be honest with you, I still love you. I know that beneath that goddamn icy exterior of yours, there's an individual in pain. I've seen it. If I lose you, then that would be another sharp blow for me. But in the end, I would just have to keep going, wouldn't I? I have to protect my other little sister, and offer up all that I can to get us all out of here. There will be more casualties… that I am one hundred percent certain… but…"

Trailing off, she took a deep breath, her adrenaline wearing off as she realized what she had just said and done. Half mortified, half proud of herself, she made a movement to let her finger drop from his chest, but with one fluid motion, she felt her hand being caught in the firm, cold grip of Nikolai. Gulping, her heart pounding against her chest, the Lithuanian stared at their hands… never had Nikolai initiated non-violent physical contact with her before.

"Are you scared?"

The question was simple. But it held so much weight, coming from those lethal lips of his. He was staring straight into her eyes, an eyebrow rising stoically as he awaited her response.

"Yes," Elena responded firmly. "But I am not afraid of you. Not anymore."

Another beat of silence passed between them, the two remaining absolutely still in their fixed positions, never breaking eye contact.

"Then I have nothing else to say."

With that, he let go of her hand gently, pushed himself off the wall, and walked toward the exit, brushing lightly against Elena as he went.

It was a sort of silent agreement. An acceptance. The Lithuanian stared after him, her heart beating wildly, her limbs trembling with leftover adrenaline as her mind swam with a maelstrom of emotions and thoughts. But, she was absolutely certain that they had reached an understanding, a mutual respect for each other in this strange, twisted world.

"Nikolai…" she called out, unable to stop herself.

Pausing, he turned around, fixing her with that impenetrable steely gaze.

"…I'm… I'm glad you're here. And not on the other side."

She felt slightly weightless at admitting that out loud, a small sharp breath escaping her lips.

He just continued to stare at her for a good solid moment before turning back around and continuing on his way.

"You too, Elena."

_You too. _


End file.
